


The Runaway

by Moonglisten



Category: Long Exposure (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Angst, Fairy Jonas, Forest sprite Jonas, Insecurity, Lots of confusing junk I like to make up, M/M, Magic, Mutual Pining, Soldiers, We have fun in this household ;)), blood/gore, criminals, forest setting, human mitch
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-01
Updated: 2018-07-22
Packaged: 2019-02-26 13:23:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 25,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13236639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonglisten/pseuds/Moonglisten
Summary: When life seems to be slipping away from Mitch Mueller, someone comes to pick it up. He wasn't in heaven right?





	1. The Angel

**Author's Note:**

> Characters belong to Mars (@Sm0keplanet)  
> Enjoy!! ;)

Blood.  
A trail of it freshly splattered across the greenery of the forest floor. Its scent intoxicated the smell of fresh flowers and newly grown sprouts. Besides the dark maroon splashes that stained the ground, the day was bright and the sun brought out the life of the forest.  
Birds began to rise from their nests and fly through the treetops. Rabbits and squirrels scattered the ground to frolic in the shrubs. The light steps of deer could be heard with the crunch of leaves.  
The morning was perfect.  
Well, except for the fact that it looked as if someone was murdered here.  
Jonas leaned down to inspect the trail, letting his finger brush the grass. A small drop of blood stained his caramel skin as he noted that it was still wet.  
A pit of worry found its way into his stomach as he rose and looked towards the trail. It led deeper in the forest, winding around trees to the point that Jonas could no longer follow it with his eyes.  
He hesitantly began down the trail, fear bubbling up in his gut.  
What could be out here? He didn't remember that blood trail being here last night.  
Maybe it was just a hunter? He'd dealt with those before, just quietly avoiding them and warning the animals of the forest.  
What if this wasn't a hunter though? What if it was somebody trying to hide a body? Was there a murderer on the loose? Had they retreated to the forest to escape the soldier's wrath?  
Jonas' worries only grew larger as he walked further and further, his feet dampening with dew.  
Flecks of dirt stuck to his feet, going unnoticed because of the mess of freckles that were permanently engraved into his skin.  
Jonas finally came to the end of the trail, finding that it led to his small creek.  
Jonas walked to where bamboo met the waterfront, stalks of it rising over the slowly moving water.  
He carefully peeked out from behind the greenery and his eyes widened at the sight.  
What he had not expected was exactly what was before his eyes.  
A man, tall and lanky, laid sprawled out on the sandy dirt. Blood drained from a gash in his chest and stained the water red. It pooled around his body, the amount of it making it look like he was long gone.  
Jonas' face paled as he rushed to the man, dropping to his knees to inspect the wound. As he got closer he realized quickly that he was much younger than he'd originally thought. The reason Jonas had guessed he was a full grown man was because of this boy's height. He was easily six feet tall though his slim weight made him look taller. He looked underfed and a pang of guilt overcame Jonas as he inspected his face. Just as he looked to his face, he caught the man looked at him with heavy eyes.  
He screeched, jumping back and falling on his butt as he watched the boy. His eyes were cracked slightly, inspecting him slowly and carefully until a smirk made its way onto his face. It was a toothy grin that made his cheeks heat for only a second. Jonas looked on with confusion as the boy just closed his eyes and let his head fall back onto the ground with a thump.  
His eyes widened and he jumped forward immediately, grabbing the boy's head to look at his face. His face had relaxed but his chest still rose up and down to a slow rhythm.  
Jonas sighed in relief, looking down with a softer gaze than before.  
He had to help him. Now that he knew he was alive, he couldn't just leave him out here to die.  
Though, was it really the best idea to bring a stranger to his house and to take care of him? He could be dangerous...  
Why would he be out here with a stab wound through his chest if he hadn't done something bad?  
Jonas looked back down to his face, the same face that smiled at him while he was on the brink of death.  
He stood up with another sigh and began to use vines to bandage him up. 

 

It had been like any other morning, waking up in his bedroom to the smell of dirty garments and cheap wine. Except for the fact that seconds after his eyes had cracked open, Mitch was being dragged out of his house by soldiers. Dozens and dozens poured into his small home, grabbing him as if they were handling a deer carcass, and throwing him into the dirty streets.  
He landed with a loud thud as dirt filled his mouth and nose, making it into his lungs quickly and making him cough. He looked up, eyes still weary with sleep, to see soldiers looking down on him with looks of disgust. Though, they were nothing compared to the man that stood with them, a smirk on his face as he looked down at Mitch. A fire burned in Mitch's chest as he got up quickly and lunged at his stepdad. The man simply stepped back as four soldiers grabbed Mitch, bruising and cutting his arms with their armor. He still fought against them, huffing and grunting as more soldiers came in between them. By this time, neighbors were coming out of their houses to investigate the whole scene.  
"Fuckin' nosey assholes" Mitch cursed under his breath, watching them peer around the crowd of men.  
A soldiers voice suddenly boomed over everyone.  
"Mitch Mueller, guilty of stabbing his father two times."  
Mitch growled under his breath and picked out the soldier from the crowd, spitting on his shoe.  
The man didn't even flinch as two more soldiers rushed over and tied a piece of fabric across his mouth.  
At this point Mitch gave in trying to escape and just watched the man in front of him.  
"That is you, correct?" The man said, looking at him sternly with a cocked eyebrow.  
Mitch only squinted his eyes further, giving the man a deep look of hatred.  
"That's him alright" the soldier said, walking away with a flick of the wrist.  
Mitch heard a sharp sound from behind him, metal scraping against metal. The noise was strangely familiar to him and he didn't even have time to think before a sharp pain blossomed through his gut.  
"MMMMMMMMMmmph" he growled through the cloth as he looked down to his own stomach.  
The tip of a sword poked through his gut, his own blood dripping from the tip.  
He felt the owner of the sword pull it out of him, painfully slow.  
More pain made it's way through his whole body as the sword came out completely and he was shoved to the ground.  
Blood poured from the gash and was soaking into the dirt as he looked up at the soldiers.  
"Leave him and let everyone see what his doing earned him" he heard his stepdad say.  
Soon enough he watched the evil man glare down at him, giving him a good kick before stalking off.  
Mitch groaned, not even daring to clutch his gut so as to not get blood all over him.  
A thick sweat coated his forehead and a whine escaped his mouth, low and desperate.  
"...fuck..." Mitch cursed, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to push himself off the ground. The pain only got worse and he stumbled back down onto the ground.  
His breathing was heavy though his breaths were jagged and inconsistent.  
He would die right here and he'd only done the right thing due to their circumstances. Jesus fuckin' Christ this shit was insane.  
"Fuckin' dumbasses not doin nothing bout that bastard..." Mitch grumbled, forcing himself to get off the ground. He clenched his teeth and ground them together, his head pounding and blood dripping from his abdomen.  
He had to leave quickly or they'd throw him in jail and he'd never see his mom again.  
No fucking way was he staying here anyway with that bastard on the loose.  
He got up and clenched his front tightly, groaning and starting to move forward. He followed the road that led out of his small town, throwing dirty looks at any snoopy neighbors that decided to pay him any attention.  
Blood dripped from his wound and got on his hand, making it wet with the sticky substance. Surely there would be a blood trail but at this point Mitch didn't care.  
As he stumbled down the trail, the amount of houses became sparser and the amount of trees increased. With every step, he was closer to freedom, or as far as he could get without dying. His breathing was getting heavier every second and his vision was beginning to get blurry. That's when he fell, his body collapsing on the old dirt path, his legs refusing to go any further. He huffed and pushed himself up quickly, against a tree, grabbing the cracked bark for some kind of stability. He rested his whole weight against the tree and looked away from the trail and into the forest. The greenery looked quite promising and untouched by people. He began stumbling weakly through the woods, hitting a tree every time his body decided it wouldn't cooperate, finally coming upon a creek.  
Bright sunlight streamed through the canopy and into Mitch's eyes and he winced. The streaks of light blinded his weary eyes and made him stumble down onto the ground, sandy dirt coating his bloody hands.  
He coughed as he sank into the soft dirt, finally accepting that this was where he'd die.  
This was it for Mitch Mueller. He'd had a pretty shitty life but it was what it was. He'd at least done something that was worth his while. He'd stabbed that dumbass that had beaten his mom. He'd had it coming though and at least now that dumbass could remember him and what he could do.  
Mitch sighed out and closed his eyes, finally giving into body's needs.  
It felt as if death was toying with him and he wished it would finally just take him away from this shit world.  
Just as his mind was turning blank, his ears picked up a noise. A noise so silent he thought he'd made it up himself. He cracked his eyes open as far as he could and couldn't believe his eyes.  
He must be in heaven because he was seeing an angel.  
A boy with caramel skin and soft cheeks was staring down at him. The boy's face was scattered with freckles and soft black curls framed his face. He had no sharp edges anywhere on his body and it made Mitch want to hold him to just enjoy the feeling of his plushness.  
But he really must've been in heaven because protruding from the boys back were two silky wings. The sun shone down and seemed to shine right through them, exposing patterns and swirls of green. Why the hell was his ass in heaven? He thought he of all people would have a one way ticket straight down to satan's lair.  
As he looked upon this spotted angel, the boy looked up to his face and squeaked in surprise. He fell back, his wings perking up in alarm. Mitch smiled as much as he could at the boy, a blush making it onto his face.  
At least his last view would have been a good one. He watched the boy continue to stare at him as he finally let himself fall away from life.


	2. The Kindness Of The Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey! Here's your daily update! So far I'm easily getting these chapters out so expect another update tomorrow. Enjoy!

The night brought many sounds. Crickets fighting over who's song would be heard, the howl of wolves, and the rustle of leaves as the wind tossed them through the forest. The crackle of fire burned over all the noise, a lazy attempt at covering up the night time sounds.  
Mitch woke up slowly, his mind blearily coming out of darkness and pressuring his eyes to open slightly. When he did open his eyes, he was welcomed with a dimly lit ceiling and not a night sky.  
Confusion overtook his weary mind and he tried to sit up, a soreness immediately making itself known in his gut.  
"Ah FUCK!" He groaned loudly, falling down against the bed with a thump.  
Again, he was welcomed with the view of a wooden plank ceiling lit with a warm orange glow. He tilted his head to the side, taking in his surroundings slowly.  
By the looks of it, he was in a well maintained cottage. From where he was, he could see that he was in a small bedroom. There was a simple bed with wool blankets, which he was currently laying on, a desk, and a dresser. The desk was covered with an assortment of different shaped bottles, each one filled with a different colored liquid, plant or crystal.  
It looked as if a witch lived here and for a quick second Mitch thought he was it's new test subject.  
That's when a door opening could be heard, followed by footsteps and a small head peeping into the room.  
Mitch's brows raised slightly as a familiar face was shown. It was the same boy as before, the one from the creek that had saved him. This must've been his house and he had supposedly brought him here.  
So he was alive after all? Alive and rescued by an angel.  
The boy, noticing he was awake, made a dash for another room. Light footsteps and the rustling of drawers could be heard from the other room before the boy returned.  
Instead of going to Mitch though, he went straight to the desk that was full of strange concoctions.  
Mitch watched as he picked up stray bottles of green and blue liquids, mixing them in a much larger bottle. His hands worked fast, crumbling up herbs and grinding crystals, mixing them all in that bottle and giving it a good shake.  
The boy gave a quick look over his shoulder at Mitch, tossing him a quick smile before getting back to work.  
The smile made Mitch's heart do a quick flip and a sudden heat to make itself present on his face.  
God this boy was gorgeous, there really was no way of denying it.  
Though, he didn't look the same as he had when he had seen him earlier this morning.  
Earlier in the morning, the sunlight had given him an angelic glow and he had had wings. Now as Mitch watched him, he wore a different outfit and his wings were gone.  
Now he wore a pair of tattered brown pants, black boots and a loose top that matched the color of his eyes.  
From behind, he looked just like any old villager but Mitch couldn't forget the angelic boy that met him this morning.  
The boy suddenly stopped his work and took a long look at the bottle in his hand. It was filled with an ebony liquid that sloshed around like mud.  
He turned around with a triumphant smile that sent Mitch's heart jumping again, and then walked over to him.  
"Sorry about not changing your clothes. I just thought you might have wanted to do that on your own" he said sheepishly, avoiding eye contact.  
Mitch looked down at himself for the first time since he woke up and noticed his old clothes on his body, darkened by dried blood. Though, there was no fresh blood there to accompany it.  
Mitch lifted his shirt curiously to see an assortment of plants pasted across his stab wound, a layer of wrapped cloths keeping them on firmly.  
The boy broke the silence by shuffling his feet and speaking quietly.  
"You might want to keep your shirt up so I can put this on it."  
Mitch looked up to see the boy shaking the bottle lightly, the thick liquid making a gross sloshing sound as it hit the sides of the bottle.  
Mitch scoffed.  
"As if. I don't even know yer name" he said teasingly, a smirk coming onto his face.  
A look of surprise came on the boy's face as he laughed nervously.  
"A-ah sorry! It's um, Jonas" he said extending a shaky hand to Mitch.  
Mitch looked down at his hand, not bothering to move.  
Jonas just put his hand back down with another nervous laugh.  
"I um, I'll just put this on now" he said, crouching down and lifting up Mitch's shirt a bit farther.  
A chill ran up his spine as Jonas' hands ever so carefully peeled off the cloths.  
Jonas looked up to meet his eyes and gave an apologetic smile.  
"Sorry... this might sting a bit" he said lightly.  
"Wha- aaACK" Mitch yelped, clutching the wool sheets tightly as Jonas peeled off the assortment of leaves from his cut.  
Everything felt raw and his skin felt as if it were on fire.  
He groaned, squeezing his eyes shut tightly as Jonas finished his work.  
When the leaves were all gone, Mitch felt Jonas lightly brush the wound, the muddy coating covering his fingers.  
The liquid was cool to the touch and for just a second Mitch relaxed, letting out a long breath as he did.  
Just as he was cracking his eyes open again a spike of pain ripped through his peacefulness and it made him feel sick to his stomach.  
"OH BLOODY HELL!" He screamed loudly, his voice coated with agony.  
He could feel Jonas' hands work the liquid into his cut faster, losing a bit of their gentle touch.  
Mitch's fingernails dug into the sheets and he felt as if he'd rip them apart. The pain that rippled throughout his entire body was the most agonizing thing he'd ever been through. This actually felt worse than when he'd been stabbed in the first place.  
After a good five minutes of groaning and cursing under his breath, he felt Jonas' fingers disappear from his skin, though the pain was still there.  
He growled under his breath, trying to breath properly while still gripping the bedsheets, as something to keep him grounded.  
Then he felt a gentle finger brush against his cheek and he opened his eyes to see Jonas leaned over him, a worried expression adorning his face.  
His green eyes shone in the light of a lantern that he'd brought in earlier and Mitch cursed himself in his head.  
A light blush dusted Jonas' cheeks as he ever so lightly wiped a tear from Mitch's cheek. Mitch hadn't even realized he'd been crying but he guessed it was natural in his circumstance.  
"Hey it'll be okay" Jonas said in a sweet whisper, laying his hand gently over the wound and giving it a light pat.  
"I've gotta bandage this up now but you'll be able to do it?" He said questioningly.  
"Mitch" he said quickly, nodding his head a little too hastily.  
A small smile lit up Jonas' face and Mitch swore that every time he smiled he got more attractive. Not to mention how much kindness and care he's shown to Mitch already despite him being a bloody stranger.  
"Okay Mitch" Jonas said with a small nod as he took fresh cloths and bandaged up his wound. He worked slowly, looking up to meet Mitch's eyes every couple of minutes to make sure he was alright.  
The whole process was silent between the two of them but the sounds of the night came back to greet them.  
Mitch had almost forgotten that it was night time though the crickets and the view of the slowly rising moon reminded him.  
Reminded him that he was currently in a stranger's home, being bandaged up by said stranger.  
What would he do after this? Would Jonas just shove him out the door as soon as he could properly walk again? What would he do then? He supposed he could back home, though he'd surely be taken to jail and probably questioned about how he survived a stab from a sword.  
That didn't sound so great.  
Maybe Jonas would show him the way to the nearest village and he could start fresh.  
New name, new plan.  
A light tap to his shoulder snapped him out of his thoughts.  
"Hey, I just made some soup. You hungry?" Jonas said, standing up and wiping his hands on some of the older cloths.  
"I um think I'm good Joey" Mitch said, trying to avoid the topic of food.  
Jonas looked up from his hands, cocking an eyebrow.  
"It's Jonas and I'm getting you a bowl" he said, retreating to the other room with the remnants of his older bandaging job.  
"Whatever you say Spots" he said, smirking even though he knew he couldn't see him.  
Mitch relaxed with a sigh, the pain being temporarily forgotten as he looked to the door.  
Even if Jonas kicked him out tomorrow, this wasn't bad at all. A warm bed, some witchcraft healing method and a cute boy watching over him.  
He kind of wished he'd gotten stabbed a long time ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow!! Thank you guys so much for all the reads and kudos already!! It means so much!! <33 If anyone has any ideas for future chapters, feel free to leave some ideas in the comments!! See you guys tomorrow!


	3. What Will He Do Now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that it's technically been 2 days but I still plan on getting another chapter out today! (Thursday)  
> Again, thank you so much for all the Kudos and hits!! It makes me so happy!! Enjoy!

The chirp of birds rang throughout the entire forest as the sky turned violet. The sun got a glimpse of the moon as it rose slowly into the sky, making the night sky disappear and the stars to lose their light.  
The clouds turned a warm golden color as warmth and sunlight flooded into the forest.  
The call of a mockingbird was what woke Mitch up, the shrill tone of it making his eyes open with a start.  
For once, Mitch woke up and didn't feel entirely gross.  
The room smelled of herbs and not the usual dirty laundry and alcohol smell that he was used to.  
Mitch inhaled sharply, enjoying this new smell for a quick second before looking around him.  
He was in the same room, the same bed, and still in the same small cottage.  
A small smile made its way onto his sleepy features as he sat up, barely noticing the ache in his abdomen.  
He ran his hands through his hair, slicking it back like he usually wore it. He was actually pretty glad he hadn't bathed in a couple days because his greasy hair cooperated easily.  
As he sat there, blinking back sleep from his eyes, he remembered that he had literally been stabbed the day before.  
Memories of the day before flooded into his head and he quickly scrambled for his shirt.  
He was currently wearing one that Jonas had given him the day before, one that didn't have rips or stains adorning it.  
Mitch lifted the soft material from his skin, cool morning air blowing against his chest and making him quiver.  
His wound was still covering in the same cloths that they had been wrapped in the night before. No new blood was staining the cloths and Mitch stared down blankly, his mouth falling open in surprise.  
Another cool rush of air made him pull his shirt back down, looking up to the empty doorway.  
As far as he could tell, there was no fire lit to warm the cool, spring air and no lantern lit to add to the morning light.  
Hastily, he sat up and pushed his feet off the bed, his dry skin brushing uncomfortably against the cold, wooden floor. With both hands on the bed for support, he lifted himself up, surprisingly supporting himself.  
His abs felt sore but he walked anyway, moving out of the bedroom and into the living room.  
The house was smaller than he'd expected, only having a decent sized living room with a fireplace and a small kitchen.  
Mitch could get a view of the whole house from where he stood and Jonas was nowhere to be seen.  
Instead of staying in the house, like he should have been, he instead walked to the front door, opening it and stepping outside.  
Bright streaks of sun shined straight into his eyes making him wince and use his lanky fingers to block the pesky golden rays.  
Looking left and right, he tried to spot the freckled boy, but all he was met with was trees as far as he could see.  
Closing the door behind him, he stepped off the wooden porch and onto the icy ground, trekking through the greenery and clovers.  
Birds chirped high up in the trees as squirrels barked at him from nearby branches. Mitch couldn't help but scrunch his nose at all the nature.  
He really wasn't a fan of the whole forest thing and being so exposed to it made him feel a bit awkward. It felt like every forest animal or plant was secretly after him for not completely surrounding himself with them his entire life.  
Though, this did beat his town at the moment. This was way better than being stuck in a cell and fed dog shit.  
Keeping an eye on the trees while he walked, Mitch made his way around the forest blindly, in search of Jonas. Branches hung down and scratched his arms, pebbles got stuck in the creases of his feet, and every once in a while he'd step on a wet patch of moss.  
The whole walk was quite uncomfortable.  
After ten minutes had passed by, he was ready to give up and head back to the cozy cottage but the sound of sloshing water made him stop in his tracks.  
He tried to listen closely to figure out where the noise came from, cursing the birds under his breath to "fucking shut up for a second".  
A good minute passed, Mitch holding his breath to listen and he finally heard the slosh of water, the noise coming from straight in front of him.  
He walked forward, his giant feet padding against the ground quietly. He looked through a thick bush and noticed the creek he'd found yesterday. Except this time, the creek had widened up and by the looks of it, become much deeper. Another sloshing sound made him direct his attention to his left, where a bare spotted back could easily be seen.  
Again, the boy's wings were visible, gently cascading from his back like fine silk.  
They looked more delicate than ever, drops of water sticking to them like beads of dewdrops on thin blades of grass.  
Mitch watched as Jonas pinched the water, somehow forming it into a string and pulling it up and out of the creek.  
A thin trail of the liquid followed his finger and danced through the air, swirling around his body and washing him thoroughly.  
The liquid slowly dripped down his freckled body and Mitch felt as if his face was on fire. The view also brought a familiar tightness to his pants but he quickly ignored that, trying to lean forward to get a better view.  
Was this awful? Yes. Very. Would he get caught? Probably.  
Was it worth it?  
Yes. Completely.  
Mitch had his eyes glued to the gorgeous boy's back, enjoying how the sun made it seem even more golden. A heavy sigh came from the boy as he summoned more water with a flick of his finger, twirling it in the air and making it soak his hair. In the sun, Mitch realized that his hair wasn't black, but that it was a dark brown, like the color of expensive, imported chocolate.  
His wet haired curled even more than before, clinging to his head in little ringlets.  
Mitch was so mesmerized by the boy he didn't even do anything when the boy turned around.  
His stomach bulged out in soft folds of freckled skin and again Mitch was overwhelmed with the urge to hold him and tell him he was absolutely gorgeous.  
This might've been the best moment of Mitch's life. That was until he watched Jonas' bright green eyes flick up to meet his.  
He watched his face go completely red with embarrassment and Mitch immediately turned his head away and tried to make a run for it.  
"M-Mitch?!" He heard Jonas yelp from the creek, water sloshing about frantically.  
Mitch stopped and sighed, turning around red faced, looking to the ground to hide his embarrassment.  
He walked forward, peeking up to see Jonas, out of the water now, a towel wrapped around his whole body.  
"S-sorry Joey... didn't mean to uh, invade your personal space." He said, scratching the back of his neck embarrassingly.  
Mitch looked up at Jonas, sheepishly meeting his eyes.  
Jonas let out a sigh and closed his eyes, shaking his head.  
"How long were you watching?" He said in a small voice, keeping his eyes closed and pushing some wet hair away from his face.  
Mitch's blush grew darker as he watched Jonas and answered quickly.  
"I didn't see your junk don't worry!!" He said, his words spilling out quickly and without much thought.  
An awkward silence grew between the two before Jonas broke it.  
"Here" he said, throwing him something. Mitch caught it, not expecting the item to slip through his fingers, catching it again quickly.  
"You need to clean up that wound" Jonas said beginning to disappear from sight as he walked behind some shrubbery.  
Mitch was about to interject before Jonas' voice could be heard from a small distance away.  
"I'll be back later with extra clothes. Take your time"  
With that, Jonas was gone, and he was left with a bar of soap and a freezing cold creek.

Jonas let out a huge breath as he released the holding spell that he'd had been supporting all day.  
Well, almost all day.  
The magic he'd been using burst into the air in sparks of violet and maroon, slowly disappearing into the night sky.  
He watched it flit up into the air, dispersing in a matter of seconds.  
Just as soon as the magic disappeared, he felt that familiar weight on his back as his wings formed properly.  
He shivered as his wings pushed up his shirt uncomfortably and let in the cool night air. He fumbled with his shirt for a minute before slipping it over his head, sighing in relief. That fabric was way too itchy for him anyway. Being exposed from the waist up was quite normal for him since putting on shirts was such a hastle but with Mitch around, he was scared to be so bare.  
It was one of his insecurities after all.  
Dean used to always scold him about his eating habits and how it made him stomach bunch up in rolls. It made him hate the way he looked but why worry about that when you live alone? Though, with Mitch here, things were a bit different.  
He cast a look behind him, reassuring himself that Mitch wasn't watching him.  
Ever since the incident that had happened earlier that day, Jonas had been trying to avoid Mitch.  
It was quite rude of him but what were you supposed to do when a guy you just met sees you naked?!  
Not only that but he also probably saw his wings, which sent chills up Jonas' spine.  
Dean had droned him for years about not getting near humans at all.  
It was practically engraved in his head that any human would slaughter him at first sight and it made Jonas fear them for practically his whole life.  
What was strange though, was how he wasn't scared when he saw Mitch.  
He didn't look so bad.  
He looked just like a fairy but without wings.  
What could he possibly do to him if he didn't have magic?  
Use his fists?  
Jonas laughed at his own thought, sitting down on the steps that led up to his porch.  
The night was surprisingly quiet and he found comfort in it.  
He looked up to the sky to see the moon, only a tiny white slice against the dark, night sky.  
A breath escaped his mouth as he closed his eyes and used his hands to hold up his head.  
What was he gonna do now? Mitch's cut was completely healed, thanks to his magic and his healing concoction, and Mitch was completely good to leave.  
They had talked the night before but not about anything nearly important.  
He still didn't know how Mitch got the cut and why he dragged himself through the forest with his intestines almost falling out.  
Suddenly a thought popped into his head.  
Did... Mitch have anywhere to go?  
He certainly didn't seem to be in any rush to leave.  
Maybe he just thought his cut would take a while to heal? But didn't he have family to get back to? A regular life in one of the neighboring villages?  
Of course, it wasn't like Jonas was in a big hurry to make him leave though.  
It was nice to not be alone, especially when he was now accompanied by a handsome stranger that needed his help.  
Wait..... what?!  
Jonas opened his eyes and straightened up, surprised even by his own thoughts.  
Mitch? Handsome? That was insane!  
He was all bloody and scratched up when he first saw him, and even after being cleaned up, he still didn't give off a very organized vibe.  
Despite the blood and obvious tears from his trip, Mitch's whole outfit was adorned with stains and holes. His shoes had been worn and dirty too and even his face didn't show neatness!  
Jonas shook his head and buried his face in his palms.  
His look did have a charm to it though.  
By the looks of it, he was the kind of person who looked like trouble. It was all shown so clearly!  
His tall, lean physique, his bruised knuckles and rough skin, his stubble and slicked back hair.  
Everything about Mitch should have told Jonas to run! run! run!  
Though, he still couldn't forget that smile. The smile that made Mitch's face go soft and made his amber eyes glow. The smile that made Jonas' neck grow hot and his cheeks to turn red.  
That very smile was what convinced him to save the boy after all.  
Jonas' thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the creaking of floorboards inside the house.  
He jumped up in surprise, snapping his finger quickly, summoning up a quick holding spell that made his wings disappear in a flash. When he felt the weight of them disappear, he threw his shirt on so fast that even he himself was impressed.  
Just as he was about to open the front door to check on Mitch, he was met face to face with him.  
When their eyes met, Mitch looked equally surprised to see him and he let go of the doorknob quickly.  
"Oh, there ya are Joey"  
Jonas watched Mitch's shoulders relax slightly as he looked down to see regular Jonas.  
Jonas offered a small smile in return.  
"Sorry I just, hadn't seen ya all day. Got a lil worried" he said, bringing a hand to rake through his hair.  
Jonas watched him, relieved at the sight of a clean Mitch with properly fitted clothes.  
He may or may not have cast a spell earlier to make a pair of his old ones fit Mitch properly.  
"Hey Mitch" Jonas said in a tender tone, surprising himself with his own voice.  
Mitch's eyes immediately met his, offering him his full attention.  
Jonas couldn't help but smile a little at that.  
"Could we maybe talk..? For a minute?"  
"Oh sure, Spots" Mitch said quickly, retreating back into the house and holding the door open for him.  
Jonas stepped inside, glad to be back in the warmth of his own home, before settling onto his small couch.  
Mitch closed the door, turning all of the small locks, and followed him. He gave Jonas a questioning look as he neared the couch and Jonas nodded, patting the spot right next to him.  
A toothy grin broke out on Mitch's face as he practically jumped on the couch, almost sending Jonas into the air himself.  
A squeak escaped Jonas' mouth and Mitch tried to cover up his laughter with one of his giant hands.  
Jonas gave him a scolding look but Mitch only laughed harder.  
"Oh my god. Look at ya! Now you're mad!!" He said in a teasing tone, clearly amused.  
After only ten seconds though, Jonas joined in with his laughter, unable to resist the urge.  
Now, just seeing each other made them laugh and it took a good minute for them to both calm down.  
Jonas peeked an eye open to see Mitch, red faced, a wide smile still spread across his cheeks.  
He was sure he looked the same but Mitch looked so much better. It almost made him want to-  
A loud "CRACK" noise snapped Jonas out of his thoughts as a burning log broke up in the fireplace. He let out a short laugh as he looked back to Mitch.  
"Okay I gotta say something or I'm gonna start laughing again but, what brings you to m-my neck of the woods?" Jonas said, his voice cracking in the middle but he tried to play it off anyway.  
Mitch's face suddenly grew a bit dark and for a quick second, Jonas immediately regretted bringing it up.  
The room was silent despite it being filled with laughter only seconds ago. It was eerie and Jonas felt awkward as he watched Mitch.  
"Well, I did have a giant stab through me" he said after a while, looking anywhere but at Jonas.  
Jonas tried to catch his eye but initially failed  
"Well that was obvious but uh- why? I'm not sure the average person would just stab themself and just come into the forest to die?" He said, trying to lighten the mood by adding a small chuckle at the end.  
Mitch looked at him for a hot second before sighing and closing his eyes.  
"I stabbed my dad" he said quietly, looking down to his knees and fiddling with a loose thread.  
"Bastard deserved it though, with all that shit he put my mom through."  
"Oh" Jonas said, finally looking away and towards the fireplace.  
He watched the wood turn to a smoldering black as the fire grew smaller.  
"So they were probably gonna put you in jail? Guess that explains why you're out here but what's with the bloody mess you were in when I first saw you?" He said, still staring at the fireplace.  
It crackled against the silence, lighting up the dim household with warm, orange light.  
"Stabbed me Joey" he said quietly.  
"Then left me for my own neighbors to see. I'm sure if I would've survived they would've came for me later" he finished, finally making eye contact with Jonas again.  
No words were said for a while but they both thought the same thing.  
So he's got nowhere to go. What will he do now?  
Jonas looked away again, this time staring out his window into the deep forest, trying to collect his thoughts.  
He knew what he was gonna say already but everything in his body was forcing him to question himself.  
Why would you let him stay here? You heard what he said!! He stabbed somebody!  
He's gotta be pretty bad if they wanted to put him in jail!  
He's a convict! If he's caught here you might get thrown in jail too!  
Don't do it! Don't do it!  
Don't do it Jonas!  
His last thought made his decision.  
It was as if the words had come directly from Dean's mouth and it made Jonas immediately snap out of his thoughts.  
Jonas took a deep breath in and let it out slowly, attracting Mitch's attention.  
"How would you feel about staying with me?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy that was kind of long. I haven't double checked this one yet so it might have errors. Also, I've realized that this fic might be more than 6 chapters! Yay...?? Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed the chapter!! See you tomorrow ;))


	4. A Daily Pattern

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! Enjoy!

Days went by just like that, acceptance settling between the two a bit too easily. At first, Mitch had refused the offer completely, not wanting to bother Jonas too much. He'd already felt like a burden during the short time he'd stayed. Joey didn't deserve to take care of a piece of trash like him anyway. Though, Jonas insisted over and over again to the point where his exact words were, "I'm not gonna watch you rot in the forest. You're staying".  
Mitch had only accepted meekly, throwing in a pathetic "thank you" for effect.  
After all, their agreement was for Mitch to stay there until he could find another village to move to and get a job. Any other person would be rushing him out of there as soon as possible, but Jonas seemed like a very patient person, and didn't rush him at all. It was very comforting.  
So there they were, starting a pattern of their daily activities.  
Mitch would always wake up to either the annoying sounds of birds or the smell of Jonas cooking something. Jonas would always wake up first, even if Mitch went to sleep early and tried his hardest to wake up before him. He eventually just gave up on trying and accepted the fact that Jonas was definitely a morning person. They'd always eat together in the mornings, even if it was something as little as wild berries or some freshly squeezed juice.  
Then, Jonas would go to his room and work at that little desk of his for hours and hours on end.  
Mitch had peeked in there every once in a while, trying to figure out what exactly occupied him for so long but would eventually end up getting bored of watching.  
He would always have his face buried in a book, working on mixing concoctions of all sorts.  
Jonas seemed to always have things to do while Mitch just hung around the house. He'd usually find ways to busy himself, getting into all of Jonas' things and always somehow making a mess. He'd clean it up of course but he could tell Jonas noticed, just by the way he'd look at the room as if it was completely different.  
Every day, no matter what he'd mess up, everything would always appear normal again. Mitch blamed it on the fact that he had magic and probably used that to make everything so tidy all the time.  
Sometimes during the day, Mitch would go out in the forest just to change things up. He despised it with a burning passion but it was kind of fun to mess around with the animals every once in a while. Except, every time he decided he'd try to hit a bird or squirrel with a rock, Jonas would suddenly appear, always carrying that same look of disappointment on his face. Mitch would always laugh it off or try to make the whole thing a big joke but in the end, he hated that face. Hated the way Jonas looked at him like he was a lost cause or a nuisance of some sort.  
Besides their daily activities, they'd always end the day with a dinner. Even with the small kitchen, Jonas somehow always had fresh meats, vegetables, bread, and sometimes fruit for them to eat. Every once in a while he'd even serve something sweet with their meal.  
Mitch always wondered when Jonas made the food but every time he'd come in early to see if he could help, Jonas seemed to have the meal done already.  
Again, it was probably a magic thing, but it astonished Mitch either way.  
He didn't find out where their food came from until the day came that Jonas invited him to go check traps with him.  
"Traps? Wait really?" He said surprised, whipping his head around as Jonas plopped down onto the couch, pulling thick boots onto his feet.  
"Yeah. Where else did you think our food came from? Did you think it just magically appeared?" Jonas said, an amused smile making its way onto his face as he laced up his boot and looked at Mitch.  
Mitch huffed out a quick laugh to himself. Who did Jonas think he was fooling? He may not have had schooling but he wasn't completely oblivious.  
"Sure Joey, I'll come with ya" he said, giving Jonas a big toothy grin.  
Mitch could've sworn Jonas' face had gotten red for a second as he whipped his head back down to tie his other boot. Though, it was probably only the light coming from the fire.  
It was getting dark outside so Jonas had lit it earlier to keep them warm and to give the room a brighter appeal.  
"The shoes I found you in were awful so I threw them out." Jonas said, snapping Mitch out of thought.  
"You can wear a pair of mine. They should be under my bed." Jonas said, hyper focused on tying his boot up.  
Mitch nodded, despite Jonas not even looking at him and got off the couch, walking into Jonas' bedroom.  
He crouched down and peeked under the bed, immediately spotting the small pair of shoes.  
Though, something else captured his attention.  
Right next to the shoes was a small box. There was nothing particularly special about the box but for some reason, Mitch's curiosity sparked and he reached for the box.  
He could hear Jonas talking in the background, droning on about something but he couldn't understand a word.  
His focus was only on the box as he removed the lid and looked inside.  
Inside was a book, no bigger than a small pocket journal that someone would write daily chores on.  
It had a leather cover, indecipherable words etched into the soft material. He was about to flip it open when he heard footsteps behind him.  
In panic, he shoved the journal back into the box and slid it under the bed.  
"-still can't believe you don't have foot problems by now. You've been in here for a little long. Were the shoes not where I said they were" Jonas said, walking into the room and meeting Mitch's eyes.  
"Oh! No no they're right 'ere. I was just uh, admiring the craftsmanship?" He said with a small gulp, the pair of shoes now in his hands.  
He offered a nervous smile as Jonas stared down at him for a second. The silence was broken by Jonas.  
"Oh, okay. I guess that makes sense, seeing as your old shoes were a mess" he said, throwing in a laugh and a small smile.  
Mitch's nervousness dissipated as he stood up, shoes in hand, throwing in a laugh.  
After putting on Jonas' shoes, they walked out of the door together, Jonas in a partially thick coat and another one in hand for Mitch.  
"You'll need it! Trust me, it gets really cold after the sun sets!" He pushed on, trying to hand Mitch the coat.  
Mitch scoffed, "The cold can fuck with me all it wants. I don't need a dumb jacket." He said, crossing his arms and sticking his nose up at Jonas' offer.  
Jonas only laughed.  
"Okay okay, well I'll just have to hear you say that in twenty minutes" he said teasingly.  
After that, they walked along a trail that Mitch had never noticed before. It was as if the grass knew to grow shorter here and the trees couldn't bother to display their roots in their way. Mitch studied the ground under their feet and noticed that there were also deer tracks following this path.  
"This is the trail the deer use. It helps me to avoid anything too troublesome to walk around or over when I'm setting out traps" Jonas said with a smile.  
A sudden thought occurred to Mitch and he looked around them, into the forest and up to the sky. The sun had gone down earlier but it wasn't exactly dark? The moon wasn't visible but there was light coming from somewhere. Not a very bright light but a soft glow of some sort. He looked to Jonas and realized that a bit of green light radiated off of him, lighting their way as they walked in the dark. That same green glow seemed to seep out of the trees, casting down enough light for Mitch to see his own feet and the trail ahead of him.  
Now aware of the light's source, Mitch couldn't help but to cast a quick glance at Jonas, hoping not to catch his eye.  
Though, a quick glance turned to a deep stare, as Mitch couldn't take his eyes off of Jonas.  
Similar to the sun's effect of him, he positively glowed with beauty.  
Waves of green light made his freckles stand out and the natural green of his eyes stand out.  
It was as if Jonas himself was the creator of nature, and if that happened to be the case, Mitch wouldn't be surprised in the slightest.  
Even as they walked their way around the forest, checking traps and resetting them, Mitch kept his eyes glued on Jonas.  
To his surprise, his peeping was never caught and Mitch's mood was improving with every second of it.  
The glow Jonas emitted had followed them to and from the cottage but sadly disappeared just as quickly as it came, just as they stepped into the house.  
Without Jonas' lack of light or glow, the night seemed to pass much quicker and almost gave off a dull vibe.  
It wasn't like Jonas wasn't as beautiful.  
Hell, he was much prettier than any of those horse-faced women that used to flaunt themselves around back in his home town.  
Though, it didn't feel like Jonas.  
The thought did occur to him that he didn't exactly know Jonas that well, but after staying with him for a good week, he seemed more open and lively when he was in the sun. Even without the golden rays of the sun, he seemed to radiate his own sort of sunshine that made him happier.  
Even thinking about it made Mitch's heart do a somersault in his chest.  
Maybe Jonas was hiding his magic?  
Well, no shit Sherlock, of course he was but maybe it slipped out at times?  
Maybe the light helped to bring it out? Maybe he just lets it flow on it's own accord and doesn't even notice.  
Whatever was happening, Mitch just wished he'd admit he wasn't human.  
It had to be hard for him but Mitch didn't know how much more he could take.  
A week seemed to stretch on forever when your host was hiding an important detail about them.  
Tucked away in Jonas' bed, Mitch sighed.  
Maybe he'd ask about it.  
And maybe Jonas would answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh guys I'm so sorry! I was trying to get this fic finished before my break ended but it just didn't work out! Sadly, I don't have an update schedule but I'll try my hardest to get chapters out as quick as possible! Not sure how long this will be either but please be patient with me! :)  
> Also, thank you thank you thank you for all your reads, kudos and bookmarks! All of them make my day and push me to make more chapters!  
> Thanks guys and I'll see you next chapter!


	5. Dreams and Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quick warning because Mitch's eating disorder is mentioned!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah this chapter was really fun to write! Enjoy!!

Warm.  
Everything was so warm.  
The feeling of close proximity to someone so big and heated made Jonas feel safe. His eyes stayed closed as he pressed his whole face into the chest of someone so safe, so heated.  
He inhaled their scent, sighing in contentment as the heavy smell of firewood and earthy tones filled his nose.  
He hummed as he inhaled again, getting drunk on the foreign scent as it filled his lungs and made him feel complete.  
His hands grasped the fabric of the stranger's shirt, relishing in the presence of someone so close. The feel of it against his fingertips made him feel so present, so there in the moment. Even feeling so present, his senses were overwhelmed, sending him in a drunken haze.  
He was so out of it that his mind didn't even register that said someone was moving until the warmth disappeared for a quick second.  
His body, noticing the immediate change, yearned for the warmth to come back, a small whimper falling from Jonas' lips.  
An amused hum, deep and breathy, came from the stranger as they wrapped their strong arms around his lower back, pulling him right back into their embrace.  
The warmth immediately came back, lighting Jonas' heart on fire and soothing the aching coldness that stretched throughout his entire body.  
Jonas' own arms wrapped greedily around the figure's torso, trying to leave no space between them.  
A small chuckle was followed by "Joey" as he snuggled into the person's chest.  
The words that came out of his mouth didn't even register until Jonas was in the middle of inhaling his scent again.  
That's when he stopped.  
He let his arms slacken, his breath catch in his throat and his eyes to pop open in surprise.  
With muscular arms still wrapped around the small of his back, he let go and looked up to see exactly who he was expecting to meet.  
The one and only, Mitch, was staring down at him with hooded eyes and a big sappy smile melting off of his face.  
His breath came out in slow puffs through his nose, blowing more of the earthy aroma out and polluting the air with the intoxicating smell.  
"Mitc-" Jonas began but was stopped by the soft press of lips against his.  
Jonas, wide eyed and no longer in a trance, stared at Mitch who was kissing him slowly, eyes closed in a peaceful manner.  
His lips were rough but surprisingly gentle as he kissed him, trying to pull him back into his embrace.  
It wasn't long before Mitch released his lips and looked back down at him again, the same dopey smile on his face.  
Jonas' eyes shined with confusion, a dark blush coating his cheeks as Mitch pulled him back into his chest.  
Again, the warmth was back, coming in waves of heat and compassion. Though, it was a bit too hot now, Mitch's own warmth combined with the embarrassing heat that seeped from his face and neck.  
If Jonas had any common sense, he would leap straight out of his grasp and yell obscenities at him.  
Mitch, a stranger he'd decided to take in barely a week ago, was now trying to make moves on him! Out of nowhere!  
Not only did they barely know each other but Mitch was a fugitive!  
He stabbed somebody!  
Though, Jonas realized pretty quickly that he was not a fan of his common sense at the moment.  
He soon relaxed in Mitch's grip and wrapped his arms around him again, pressing his face against his clothed front and inhaling his aroma.  
He let the smell overtake him and fill his mind with thoughts only of "Mitch Mitch Mitch".  
It wasn't until Mitch's rough hands reached for the bottom of his shirt that he popped out of his daze.  
"Woah woah, wait!" Jonas said quickly, pushing himself away from Mitch to stare him in the eyes.  
Mitch didn't seem at all dazed, only stopping to look at Jonas to see what the problem was. Concern dripped from his features and the whole scene made Jonas' face get even hotter.  
"That.. area is kinda sensitive. I don't like people to see that part of me" he said ashamed, looking down to his bulging belly with heavy eyes that's screamed embarrassment.  
Despite his warnings, Mitch scooped him up, pulling him close to him with one hand and pushing the other up his shirt to rest on his belly.  
Jonas froze in place, feeling Mitch's hand in a place that felt so foreign.  
What would he do now? Call him fatty and suggest a diet? Would he get up and leave in disgust? Would he call him a pig like Dean used to do and tease him about his slow metabolism? Fear raked through Jonas' body as his anxiety skyrocketed. His heart beat heavily in his chest as he waited for the worst.  
Though, the worst never came.  
Rough fingers slowly pressed into the softness of his stomach, exploring the open skin and rubbing small circles into it.  
The motion immediately broke Jonas out of his thoughts and made him feel out of place.  
Mitch's hand pressed and pulled at the squishiness of his freckled skin, almost as if he was relishing in his softness.  
"Joey, yer so fuckin' soft" came Mitch's voice, a deep whisper that vibrated through his ears and made his heart beat faster.  
The statement alone made Jonas' cheeks burn the color of a fire hydrant but the motions that accompanied it only added to his submission.  
Soon, Jonas was puddy in Mitch's grasp as he massaged shapes and patterns into the gooey fat that made up the bulge of his belly.  
Every movement made Jonas relax further, turning his breathing back to normal and eventually letting him close his eyes again.  
A small smile came to his face as he pressed into Mitch's chest again, matching his breathing to Mitch's steady heartbeat.  
He felt a kiss being pressed to his forehead and he hummed in happiness.  
"Yer beautiful Spots and don't let nobody tell ya otherwise" Mitch said, letting both his hands wrap back around Jonas and pulling him closer.  
Jonas smiled and sighed against Mitch's chest.  
Happiness radiated off of him, making everything even hotter than it already was.  
The temperature was almost a bit overwhelming but the happiness that welled up inside of him overpowered his urge to cool down.  
He was just so happy.  
Who would have thought their relationship would've blossomed into something such as this, and at this pace too?  
It almost seemed like a dre-

Jonas slowly cracked his eyes open, only to shut them again when he was met with bright morning light.  
Then, his precious memories hit him and he opened his eyes with a start, sitting up and looking around wildly.  
He was on his own couch, alone, the fire burnt out and early morning light shining through the window.  
Jonas just laughed, a hollow and small noise, and buried his face in the palm of his hand.  
Of course it had been a dream.  
When did things like that happen in real life?  
Nobody could love a pig like him anyway, he thought, dropping his hand from his face and realizing just how cold he was.  
It was terribly cold in the room and for a quick second, Jonas wished that Mitch was there to warm him up.  
He pushed the thought away and shook his head, trying to forget about the dream.  
It probably meant nothing.  
It was just the result of him being alone for so long after all... right?  
I mean, it wasn't everyday that he took in a strong, handsome stranger.  
It wasn't everyday that said stranger was staying with him for who knows how long.  
Who knew what was going to happen during that time.  
Jonas' face burned as he shooed the thoughts away, standing up and walking to his kitchen. He grabbed a small bucket from the counter top and walked to the front door. He opened it and was welcomed with a cool breeze as he stepped out, not bothering to put his shoes on.  
The cool ground wasn't the most pleasant experience so he simply snapped his fingers, whistling a short stream of notes as his wings appeared and lifted his feet off the ground.  
Jonas smiled as the cold disappeared and he lazily drifted barely an inch from the ground.  
The presence of his wings always gave him comfort, finding at least one thing he liked about himself. That and the fact that something so delicate could support his weight, even though he knew it was the magic doing all the work.  
After a quick trip to the creek and a visit past his favorite berry bush, he was back in the safety of his home, making some mixed berry water.  
To anyone else, it probably wasn't safe to drink from the creek or to eat these berries. In fact, Jonas was almost positive that these berries were poisonous.  
Though, a little magic could fix anything. Especially when he was in his natural element.  
Jonas had been raised by a kind family of water fairies that took him and his sister in when their mother abandoned them. Well, so he thought. It wasn't that they weren't nice but Dean was not his favorite.  
Anyway, despite his adoptive family having been water fairies, him and his sister Sidney had Forest fairy roots.  
It was strange to try to learn water magic but he eventually got the hang of it. He was grateful for his skills now but thinking back on it, he wasn't fond of the bullying and teasing.  
"Not fond" was putting it in nicer terms.  
He absolutely despised those jerks that tormented him his whole childhood.  
Jonas took a deep breath and looked down at his hand, a crushed berry being the outcome of his anger.  
He breathed out and cleaned it up with a flick of magic, making the remains go into the purple tinted water.  
They had gotten what they deserved.  
Jonas gritted his teeth together and decided to dismiss the topic completely.  
He was happier now. Happy to be in the forest and to use his magic so freely.  
It was as if he himself was a plant, flourishing under the sun's nourishment just like the trees did.  
He smiled at that thought and decided that today he'd try to grow something new.  
It was winter after all and barely any natural growth occurred then.  
He had been studying spells for months, trying to figure out the easiest way to grow things to support him. Now, with Mitch staying with him, he had to grow even more food.  
It wasn't like it was hard but he was afraid that Mitch would get tired of eating the same vegetables every day. He could easily eat the same things every day but Mitch's presence made him feel as though he should expand his variety more.  
That and he was kind of showing off his magic skills, even though Mitch didn't even know he was a fairy.  
The sudden thought that Mitch would be waking up soon came into mind and Jonas cast a holding spell with the flick of a finger.  
Again, the ache of his wings being bound soared through his body and he outwardly cringed.  
It wasn't fun to bind himself but it was best for Mitch not to know.  
The more Mitch knew, the more he could eventually spread his secrets to other humans. And if other humans knew, they'd come after him.  
It wasn't like Jonas thought Mitch would do that sort of thing but Dean's constant warnings were engraved into his mind.  
Jonas started to slice some fresh mint as he thought to himself.  
Maybe he'd tell Mitch one day.  
Would he judge him? Would he think it's weird? Would he run and try to spread the news of his "witchcraft"?  
Worst case scenario, Jonas could wipe his memory. Though, he'd have to study on that. His magic skills on dealing with the mind and the subconscious were a bit rusty after all.  
Thinking on the topic, maybe he could find out why he had had such a strange dream about Mitch. The only reason not involving magic would be that Jonas was starting to develop feelings for Mitch.  
Jonas stopped his cutting and looking down at the mess of mint. He scooped it up and tossed it in the pitcher, giving the drink a good stir with a wooden spoon.  
There was no way.  
Mitch? The one that stabbed somebody? The scraggly guy that now lived with him?  
...Not to mention the really handsome guy who could absolutely engulf every inch of Jonas in his huge arms-  
NO.  
Jonas banged his fist against the wooden counters, wincing at the soon to be bruise on his hand.  
Jonas' face felt hot as he looked to the doorway of his bedroom, making out the shape of an awoken Mitch.  
He watched him push the sheets back and slowly get out of bed, walking out of the bedroom and into the living room.  
He wore a pair of clothes that were far too big for him, ones that Jonas hadn't shrunk, just so he could be more comfortable at night.  
The sight of Mitch in his clothes made Jonas' face grow even more red and he looked down at his hands shyly.  
"Mornin' Joey"  
Jonas looked up, taking a hand through his mess of curls that he hadn't bothered with yet.  
Mitch had a sleepy smile on his face, his hair a mess and his features adorning an endearing droopiness to them.  
Jonas smiled at that.  
He had to admit that Mitch was actually pretty cute when he didn't put up a "bad boy" facade.  
His cheeks settled to a light shade of pink, the heat barely making it to his neck as he made eye contact with the sleepy boy.  
"Good morning Mitch."

Morning juice or flavored water was one of Mitch's favorite things to wake up to. Unless you counted Jonas, then the odds were immediately beat but he tried to push that thought down.  
Morning juice was always great to get the bad taste out of his mouth and overall just wake him up.  
It was also technically not food so it didn't make Mitch want to absolutely throw up all his insides after it hit his stomach.  
He hadn't told Jonas yet but he kind of, sort of maybe had an eating problem.  
It wasn't because of the lack of food he'd never had for practically his entire life, though that could potentially have played into it.  
Food just made him absolutely sick.  
To see people in his old town worship the stuff. They fought over it, spent fortunes on barely anything edible and praised it.  
It was as if food controlled some people and the very thought of it made Mitch's head spin.  
Even his own family would fight over food, his older brother Freddie always getting more than him and flaunting it in the highest manor.  
As a kid, he'd try to fight Freddie tooth and nail for his right to get just as much as he would get, but as he aged, he slowly began to lose his interest in the idea of eating altogether.  
It got bad sometimes, resulting in him passing out, waking up hours later to forget the whole thing by the next day.  
His mother always worried over him and tried to sneak him even the smallest portion more than he usually got but his stepdad eventually found out and beat her for it. That's what probably tore him up the most, the way that his mom had to suffer just for trying to get him to eat more.  
It made his chest ache and burn that it was all his fault for his mother's care. She was only trying to take care of him and she had to pay for it.  
Mitch could feel his stomach wrap into itself just thinking of that.  
It hurt. It really did.  
Though, he'd never admit that. He could never let Henrietta know, she'd be way too concerned for him and he never wanted to trouble her in the slightest. Of course, telling Freddie or Tom was fucking worse and that alone made him angry for absolutely no reason.  
After all, he was here, drinking morning juice with Jonas. Jonas, the cute, freckled fairy boy that let him into his home and literally saved him from dying.  
A warm blush spread across his cheeks and up his neck as he looked into his juice, taking a slow sip and smiling a small smile.  
"Woah you look like you just had a whole improv scene with yourself with just expressions. Something on your mind?" Jonas' tiny voice came from across the small breakfast table, Mitch looking up and meeting a pair of concerned eyes.  
Mitch straitened his back, bringing the cup down to sit back on the table, his hand cold from the sweat that dripped from the container.  
Jonas' messy curls billowed down his face, displaying themselves wildly in every direction, his bright tired eyes looking to him with a familiar look.  
It was one his mother used to give him. One full of true concern and care and the sight of familiarity again made Mitch's heart jump and twist at the exact same time.  
A smile came to his face as his blush returned.  
"Yeah Spots, just thinking back to some family stuff ya know? Ts' alright now just something reminded me."  
Jonas looked up, something sparking in his eyes.  
"Thinking about your d- er... stepdad again?" He said hesitantly, ducking his head down a bit and looking up at him through his chocolate brown hair.  
"Nah, thinking about my mom. Ya kind of reminded me of her for a moment" he said, without much thought, earning a look of combined confusion and surprise.  
"Me? Oh... thanks..?"  
Mitch watched Jonas from across the table, tucking a piece of hair behind his ear, face red. Again, Mitch thought his eyes were betraying him but...maybe not?  
A spark of hope shot into Mitch's chest and his mind became bubbly and light, thinking of why Jonas could be red.  
He was probably just weirded out by him saying that he was like his mom.  
"Do you... like your mom?" Jonas said, almost a sad look in his eyes now. The sight of it took Mitch aback and he stood up quickly, looking dow at Jonas, his hands pushed on the surface of the table.  
"Yeah! Course I do!" He said a little louder than he meant, throwing a quick apology under his breath as he sat back down, pushing his hands into his lap.  
He looked down at his own hands and felt eyes glued on him, looking up to meet Jonas' gaze.  
Jonas was looking at him from across the table, giving Mitch a genuine smile that made his head blurry for a good five seconds.  
"I wish I could say the same but Sue wasn't exactly a proper mom? Plus she's like your polar opposite."  
"You trying to tell me I'm not lady like?" Mitch said with a smirk, earning a laugh from Jonas.  
The sound of it was definitely a nice one and Mitch found himself enjoying it.  
"I don't know Joey, I think I'd look pretty hot in a dress. Don'cha think?" He said, cocking an eyebrow and grinning wider.  
Jonas was curling in on himself now, holding his stomach from laughing and eventually settling for setting his head down, his laughter shaking the table.  
Mitch watched him, lidded eyes glowing in triumph as that devious smirk only grew bigger.  
"Jeez Spots, didn't know you would crack under my awful jokes" he said, leaning back in his chair and giving Jonas a wink as he looked up at him, tears growing in the corners of his eyes.  
A smile lit up Jonas' face, cheeks pink and delightfully freckled.  
"Well I have been alone for a long time and my sister used to... tell jokes a lot" Jonas said, face faltering into a frown.  
"I miss her" he said sadly, picking up his cup and taking a slow sip.  
Mitch stood up, his mind going into a bit of a panic. He hadn't meant to do that.  
"Hey Joey, let's stop thinking bout' family for a minute and go do something out eh? You like the sun anyway" he said, taking his hand and dragging a surprised Jonas to the door.  
"Oh okay, wait Mitch I need shoes!!" Jonas said desperately, looking back to the open door of the house, as Mitch held his wrist, leading him into the woods.  
Even Mitch would admit that it was cold out here and they probably should've gotten ready or at least put on shoes before coming out here. Though, he was confident in his methods of cheering Jonas up so he trekked along, Jonas behind him, still succumbing to his grip on his wrist.  
Eventually Mitch's grip relaxed on Jonas' hand, trying to hint to him that he didn't have to hold onto his hand, but Jonas didn't move his hand.  
He kept it right where it was, letting Mitch lightly guide him along the forest. Jonas' choice was his choice after all, even if it made Mitch really happy to technically be holding his hand.  
Mitch guided him along the forest, following trails of deer tracks that trekked along the blooming forest.  
He remembered Jonas telling him about the trails, showing him that the deer knew the easiest way to avoid casualties and find a safer path. He smiled at the memory. When he was alone out here, everything seemed cold and wintery, unwilling to grow and flourish.  
Though, with Jonas here, everything seemed so much brighter.  
Rays of white sun shone through the canopy, flowers blooming left and right of the deer trail. Ferns and moss sprouted up from every direction, making everything feel so much greener.  
The green of a particular fern caught Mitch's attention, the color reminding him of Jonas' shining eyes.  
He almost wished that he were walking next to Jonas so he could see his beauty in the daylight but that would mean risking the soft grip he had on Jonas' hand.  
Despite his heart almost leaping out of his chest, he turned his head to look at Jonas, still keeping up a steady pace.  
Jonas seemed absolutely entranced, his face to the sky, the morning light shining down onto his cheeks.  
His freckles glowed golden as if millions of fireflies decided his face would be a good place to rest, his eyes lidded with admiration as he stared to the sky.  
Mitch couldn't help but stare, his whole body getting warm. Was it from the sun?  
Definitely not.  
His hand felt heavy as the softness of Jonas' wrist rubbed against his rugged and calloused hand. He was scared that if his hands touched him for too long, his freckles would flake off and drift away in the wind, never to be seen again.  
Jonas was literally a gift sent from whoever lived past those clouds in the sky and Mitch didn't deserve to even be this close to such a ray of sunshine.  
What he did deserve though, was what he got next.  
One moment, his whole life had been brightened up and the next his head was hitting a tree, dead on.  
Mitch fell back onto the ground in surprise, a string of curses leaving his mouth as he cracked open his eyes, welcomed to a certain freckled boy staring down at him.  
Though, the amused smile was worth the new bruise on his forehead as Jonas laughed again, offering him a hand.  
Mitch chuckled lightly as he grabbed Jonas' hand, letting the smaller boy help him up.  
"Thanks Joey" he said, ruffling Jonas' hair with his large hand, the whole thing easily covering his head.  
"Do you even know where we're going?" He said, laughing and seemingly dismissing the affectionate gesture.  
"Sure, we're-"  
"... oh"  
"I know where we are, follow me" Jonas said.  
This time it was Jonas who grabbed him, except... instead of grabbing Mitch's wrist, he grabbed his hand, leading the way.  
Mitch's brain practically short-circuited, looking at how Jonas' small hand fit perfectly into his, the softness of it just as unbelievable.  
He noticed that as Jonas walked ahead, his curls bobbed up and down and he had a skip to his step, his small figure moving with ease.  
In no time, the trees were becoming sparser and the forest opened up into a field. They were still in the forest but Mitch's height let him see the upcoming field ahead of him.  
Suddenly, hands were pulling at his arms, making Mitch look to Jonas as he pressed his hands against his eyes.  
"Keep them closed for a second!" He said with a laugh and Mitch chuckled back, waiting.  
After a couple seconds and a light breeze blowing through his hair, Jonas' voice came back softly.  
"Okay. Now look."  
Mitch uncovered his eyes to see the field ahead of him, covered in daisies. He wasn't one to know flowers but Henrietta used to grow them in the flower box that sat outside their kitchen window.  
Mitch could've sworn from back in the forest, it all looked like dead grass, what it should've looked like in the winter. But Mitch decided to play along with it, acting like he didn't know Jonas had magic again.  
They spent their whole afternoon there together, talking about all sorts of things and exploring the area. More like Jonas was showing Mitch around but Jonas didn't seem to mind.  
He looked happy. Happy to be outside and in the nature like this.  
Even as the wind blew and the ground was cold to his bare feet, he found himself warm.  
Warm to his cheeks and neck as he laughed and enjoyed Jonas' company.  
Why had they not done this earlier? 

The day ended, the two of them walking back to Jonas' small cottage and Jonas actually letting Mitch help him cook.  
They cooked together, the kitchen full of laughter as pots boiled over and things got a bit burnt. More like a lot burnt, but he was happy.  
It wasn't the turnout that made Mitch so happy though.  
Hell, he barely ate anyway.  
It was the fact that they'd done it all on their own, supposedly without Jonas' magic.

The night came slowly, Mitch ruffling Jonas' hair as he watched him settle down onto the couch.  
"Y'know I can always sleep there. I don't need yer bed" Mitch said, a small smile on his face, his mind tired and droopy and his usually painful stomach full of happiness.  
"No, you're my guest. You sleep there"  
Mitch sighed in defeat.  
"Alright Spots, I'll see ya in the mornin'" he said, walking to the bedroom door. Before he went inside though, he threw a look over his shoulder, meeting Jonas' gaze before turning around again and shutting the door.  
The wood creaked under Mitch's feet as he walked to the bed, except he didn't get in the bed.  
Didn't blow out the candle on Jonas' desk.  
Didn't go to sleep thinking of Jonas like he usually did.  
No, Mitch reached under the bed, grabbing the small box that he'd found the day before.  
He lifted the lid off, glancing back over his shoulder again and then taking the journal out and closing the box. Other strange things awaited within the box but he ignored them, unbundling the journal and opening it up.  
There, on the very first page was a recognizable face.  
A face he'd seen with his own eyes, dead, in the middle of town square.  
Mitch looked at the picture in horror, because marked across the small picture was a large X, drawn in blood.  
And under the picture were words, again indecipherable to him but he knew. Somehow he knew this was something Jonas did.  
And somehow, he didn't fear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow that was fun :)) Again, sorry if there's spelling or grammar errors! Thanks for reading and I'll see you soon with another update!


	6. Time Brings Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while! Life has been so so busy lately!! I'm overworked! Well, enjoy!

December 17th, 1509

Thud. Thud. Thud.  
What was that?  
The ice of course, there was no other possibility.  
Wasn't it snowing?   
No, it was ice.  
Ice poured from the sky, heavy drops of frozen water plunging down harshfully, some sharp enough to stab a man.  
Well, that was what everyone was saying anyway.  
Talk ran throughout the down because it wasn't too often that the people of this land saw this much snow.   
It was peculiar.

Jonas cringed internally as his fingers became raw, the use of magic being too much for his physical form. Not to mention that he was not a weather nymph.  
He should not have been casting these spells but, it was the only way wasn't it?   
Things had worked out in his favor though, the air not being cold enough to maintain a heavy snowstorm but lasting long enough to coat the ground in a layer of white. It was fine. It would hide them.  
Footprints trailed behind Jonas, his own, being covered by a small cloud that followed him slowly, the ground coming out clean and fresh.  
The snow crunched underneath his weight, tiny stressful crystals blooming in his path.  
His heart pounded, sounding as if it was trying to leak out his secrets.  
The sound was loud in his ears, and his hand felt heavy.  
The hand, his hand, gripped the piece of finely carved metal carefully, his raw fingertips tracing over the delicate design engraved in the blade.  
It was too pretty for its job.  
With snow coating his cheeks and his breaths coming out in ragged white puffs, he stared ahead of him to his destination.  
The pond, almost peaceful at the moment, stood still, the ice slowly forming a crystalline barrier around the edges. Moss grew around the bank and lily pads floated calmly towards its center.   
Jonas' hands shook.  
His head felt dizzy.  
Thoughts of regret immediately poured into his mind, one after the other, dripping down into his heart. It hurt. He didn't want to do this. He didn't have the right amount of insanity for the job. Maybe he could go home...  
Then, he arose.  
Arose from the water with a forceful splash, his whole body levitating menacingly over the pond, glaring at him with his nose stuck to the air, the water dripping down his skin drop by drop.   
"What do you want?" He sneered, pulling back his lip to reveal those god awful teeth of his.  
Jonas looked down, avoiding his gaze and waiting in silence.  
The air was empty and silent, not even the howl of wind interrupting it.  
And for a moment, everything was still.  
...  
Suddenly, a rumble erupting from the ground that shook the trees and made the pond water splash around in a frenzy.  
Vines soared from trees, rocks broke from beneath the earth' surface, and new plants sprouted up to enormous heights, all coming down to land blows on the unfortunate boy.  
Though, as Jonas expected, he fought back.  
Long blades of water sliced through his plants, pushed away his vines and absorbed the rocks, pushing them back to him.  
The blows were back and forth.  
Jonas would get a rock to his ankle.  
He would get a slice to his shoulder.  
Jonas would burn him with the force of a whip from the vine.  
He would push Jonas off his feet with a stream.  
Everything seemed matched at the moment, and the fight would end with whoever tired out first.  
Though, Jonas was prepared.  
He hadn't done years of planning for this to turn out badly.  
There was absolutely no failure now.  
Suddenly, Jonas lifted up one hand, summoning the roots of the lily pads to tie down his legs, swiping him immediately off his feet.  
He fell with a sudden gasp and landed face first into his own pond.  
No matter how quick he was, no matter how fast he would've reacted, nothing could've stopped Jonas at that point.  
No begs of mercy.  
No Sidney there telling him to stop.  
No.  
In less than 2 seconds, Jonas had him pinned to the surface of the lake, his hands bound down with vines and his powers forced away with a holding spell.  
Jonas looked into his eyes as the power drained temporality and was replaced by nothing other than fear itself.  
Jonas got down into his face and looked him dead in the eye.  
He spoke so softly that not even he could hear his own voice.  
"You listen good and you listen now because you'll never get the chance again." He hissed.  
"Remember my face and remember my name."  
"I'm Jonas Wagner, and you will never mess with me again."  
His words echoed across the still waters as a slice sounded out through the forest.  
He tried to make a sound, tried to let out his last words, but nothing came out.   
Blood flew from his mouth as he tried to scream, the thickness of it clogging his lungs and making him collapse from Jonas' grip.   
He watched as his natural magic drained from his body, the water of the pond restoring its natural form and the boy sinking, mercilessly trying to reach up and grasp something. Anything.  
Jonas grabbed his hand, hoisting him up and throwing his limp body onto the bank with a loud "thump".  
The slice across his stomach fell open and his innards spread across the frozen ground, the warmth of his own blood melting the snow.  
Jonas watched the pond splash in a flurry, the last remnants of his life still flowing through those very waters and making them jump frantically.   
That's when he walked to hover over the boy, life draining from his body as blood ran from his mouth and nose.  
He cast one look up at Jonas before it happened.  
One last look of pure fear.  
But something else hovered in those eyes.  
The sheer, horrible look of acceptance itself.  
The storm clouds above them rumbled furiously, the wind howling obnoxiously as if whipped his curls in every direction.  
That's when the ice came again, and a crystal, sharp as the very knife that stabbed him before, landed in his wound.  
A screech, louder than any bird imaginable, broke out through the air, echoing across the forest as Jonas landed his final blow.  
And there he laid.  
A heap.  
A pile.  
That's all he was now.  
The cold had yet to leave Jonas' eyes as he dragged the dead weight by his foot, reaching the nearest town and discarding the body there without a second thought.  
It was over.  
Neil was gone.

Thick clouds of grays and whites covered up his trail as a snowstorm brewed, blowing everything into a cold frenzy. Blood was washed away and the once active pond was now left silent, vegetation taking over the now available space.   
Ironic.  
His cabin, surrounded by the worst of the storm, stood sturdy against it, the shudders shaking and the wood cracked ominously.  
Thick logs crackled in the fireplace and warmth spread across his numb fingertips eagerly as his fingers wrote away.  
He wrote of foreign things, unintelligible to all but fae.  
He wrote of his deeds, what'd he'd done to the finest of details.   
How his heart had sped up as the knife stabbed into him, how he got a thrill every time he had screamed and how it felt so good that Neil was finally getting what he deserved.  
When it was written, Jonas remembered the last time he'd saw him, clean faced and smirking at him with that annoying look.  
The look that he kept him awake so many nights, scars that were scattered across his body burning and aching from the memories.  
Conjuring up a copy of that on the page was easy, and with heavy hands, he slashed across the image, blood left on his hands splattering across the clean page.  
As his deed was done, Jonas closed the book and it was as if all the tension in his body dissipated.  
His wings glowed and fluttered lightly against the firelight, the warmth truly returning to his body. He felt too cold. He smiled and breathed in the warm smell of burning wood, as he let his eyes flutter shut.  
His arms and legs felt far too weary and he eagerly wanted to lay down and let it all fall away from him.  
That's when his hands felt heavy, too heavy, and he opened his eyes to see it.  
The very journal.  
It made his hands cold and his body shake and he threw it down immediately, watching it fly across the rough hardwoods.   
It hit the floor with a smack, almost reaching the fireplace.  
"NO" Jonas yelled out instinctively as the corner caught aflame.  
His fingers were quick to fetch water from the storm that still lingered outside and he put it out.  
Thunder crackled in the distance.  
The burnt remains of the corner seemed like a pile of ash but Jonas' eye widened as they swept themselves into the air and suddenly hit him painfully in the chest.  
A lightning strike, two, no three.  
So many emotions rushed through him in that very moment to the extend of him falling back and flinching from pain.  
One overpowered them all though.  
Guilt.  
The house shook as the crash of both thunder and lightning combined.  
Jonas staggered back, trying to breath as they came over him.  
In a hurry he cast his eyes to the book, summoning it to him.  
The book felt thick in his hands and he scrambled up, running to his bedroom and finding a box quickly.  
He threw the book in the box, sealing it shut and stumbled to the door with heavy, jagged breaths.  
His head throbbed with pain as he flung the door open, the cold meeting him with just as much force.  
The storm was even worse now, his small house being surrounded by loads of snow, ice still pouring from the massacre of clouds.  
They were dark, lit up by bright streaks of heat as the lightning shot out.  
He searched frantically eyes scanning his surroundings and finally finding what he needed.  
He quickly lifted the roots of a great oak, watching as the dirt flung itself across the snow as roots lifted up at his command.  
He quickly threw the box underneath the massive tree, making the tree's origins bind around the box, planting it firmly against the ground again.  
He made the roots tighten and knot themselves, folding over and over the dirt and snow, covering up every remnant of the sinful box.  
Jonas watched the tree sit still now.  
Watched the snow stop falling and the ice to cease. The thunder left, leaving only the silent howl of the wind. His chest felt lighter.  
The clouds slowly dissipated into thin air, revealing the dark sky, not a star in sight.  
And then... everything was still.  
It had been done.

Mitch's heartbeat rumbled through his ears, his whole body feeling empty and hollow.  
Time passed by ever so slowly, his mind refusing to rest as thoughts rushed through his head. Even as he closed his eyes, his mind screamed ever so loudly, making him antsy. He watched the ceiling now, the wooden boards looking more interesting than the black of his eyelids and the drone of his ideas.  
Why was there a box in the first place? He wished he'd never even seen it so he could just enjoy his temporary stay with a freckled fairy boy and not have to worry about him being a potential murderer.  
But Jonas? A murderer? There was no possible way that ray of sunshine had anything to do with gore or mishap.  
Hell, he wouldn't even let him kill a bird. How could he even hurt someone and still have the sanity he had today?  
Mitch pushed the thought away, trying not to think about it too much.  
Blame it on his family.  
Yeah.  
That was a good idea.  
But...didn't Jonas say that he had moved out and built this place on his own? Maybe he messed around with some magic and accidentally killed someone.  
But... why was there a huge X marked through the guy's face? Accident...?  
Mitch sighed and pushed himself up, stretching his legs out from underneath the sheet and yawning. A small window was by the wall to his left so he stood up and walked to it, pulling back the curtain to reveal a pitch black sky.   
Mitch groaned, his eyes heavy but his brain running 20 miles an hour.  
He sunk to the floor, landing on top of himself with a loud thump that echoed through the small house.  
He jerked his head to the door, hoping and praying to whatever gods that are up there that he didn't wake Jonas up. For a second, his head cleared up, filled with concern for Jonas' well being. 

All it took was a sneeze, and Mitch knew Jonas was awake. Muffled coughing rang through the house, desperately trying to be held in but Mitch could hear it easily.   
Was Jonas sick? But more importantly, fairies could get sick?  
The floorboards croaked and whined and then the door followed.  
A sleepy looking Jonas pushed open the door, a blanket hanging off his shoulders. His hair was a mess and his face looked pale, which was surprising because he already had dark skin.  
"Hey Mitch, you okay?" He said weakly, sleep still stitched deep into the remnants of his voice.   
Mitch only stared, still finding sleep deprived and sickly Jonas endearing. The way his green eyes glowed weakly, the wrinkles in his sleep shirt, the tangled curls, it was all too much.   
"Yeah yeah fine Joey but uh-" he stopped mid-sentence, pushing himself off the ground and making his way towards Jonas.  
"What about you? Ya sick?" He said, patting his back lightly, concern on his face.  
Jonas sick? Bad bad bad. He couldn't possibly run the house. With his mom he could just run to the baker, request some bread and soup and bam. It's done. But this? This was different! Jonas had showed him how to trap and they had cooked together but he always thought the magic aided him. Without Jonas' touch, would he lose the stuff he'd learned over the past week or so?  
"Mm no no I'm fine" he said with a sniffle, making Mitch's mind become dizzy with concern.   
Mitch chuckled.  
"Doesn't sound like it".  
"I'm fine. Good. Swell. I'll go make breakfast".  
Mitch laughed again, this time a bit louder.  
"Joey it's like 3am" he said, turning his head to look out the window, Jonas' following.  
Mitch felt his back rise and fall, a silent sigh.  
"Then we should sleep" he said, rubbing his eyes and sniffling again.  
He made a move to go back to the living room but Mitch stopped him.  
"Nuh uh, no. Spots yer sleepin' in 'ere", he said, pushing Jonas to the bed.  
He obliged with no complaint, letting himself be dragged and only groaning a tiny bit.  
Mitch helped him into the bed and tucked him in, putting one of his large hands gently against his head.  
He's hot, Mitch thought, concern becoming evident as he looked down at Jonas.  
He was sure there would be something here to fix this! Some fancy crystal or herb he could smell or shove up his ass to fix this.  
Mitch drew his hand back and watched Jonas crack open his eyes to look at him.  
"Mitch I'm fine, really. You can sleep now, I'm sure I look better than you. You look exhausted" he said.  
Mitch tried to cover up his lack of sleep with a guilty chuckle.  
"Nah Joey I'll stay here till ya fall asleep. Then I'll head to the couch" he said with a nervous smile.   
Jonas smiled weakly.  
"Okay" he said, closing his eyes and resting his head further into the pillow.  
Mitch watched his face get softer, more comfortable, his breaths coming out a bit jagged but still softly.  
"Can't have ya getting sick on me now. I can't run this place on my own."   
He spoke softly, watching Jonas' chest rise and fall to a rhythm.  
Good, he was asleep.  
Mitch sighed and stood up, running his hands through Jonas' hair.   
It was so soft. It curled around his fingers like some kind of forest fern or vine, falling back against his head with a gentle bounce.  
Mitch smiled, cheeks getting a bit too warm for his liking.   
He was growing a little too fond of his Joey.   
His? His. Yes. For the moment, he was his and he'd do anything in his power to make sure he was okay.  
Without him, he'd be dead right now. So whether he had feelings for him or not, he felt like he owed him his life if not more.  
Mitch still kept a dopey smile on his face, blowing out the small candle that dripped wax on the wood of the table. The room went dark, only lit up by the glow of the living room fireplace. Mitch could make out Jonas' sleeping figure, lit up with a green glow that sparkled around his face. Small specks of magic flickered on and off, floating   
through the air, moving with his slow breath.   
Jonas really was an angel.  
Mitch cracked the door, hesitating a bit before turning around and walking to the couch.  
He threw himself onto the couch, the furniture immediately taking his weight and making him sink into it.   
He let his breath coming out in a puff, grabbing the blanket that laid by his foot and snuggling into it.  
He breathed it, inhaling the smell of the soft material with a deep breath.  
Honey, cinnamon, gardenias, all the scents hit him at once, a comforting scent that made him drink in the smell.  
It was so nice.   
Mitch bundled himself up in the blanket, burying his nose in the fabric.  
Thoughts of Jonas and himself, walking through the forest, laughing, baking together, enjoying the small moments, filled his head.  
They swirled around, some of the happiest moments he'd had. Yet, he'd only met him a week ago. Sad, maybe.  
But it didn't matter at the moment.  
Those thoughts, so happy and bright, lulled him to sleep.  
But not before a sound echoed through his ears.  
Something so quiet and hollow that Mitch didn't give it a second thought.  
Though, somewhere out there, on that old beaten path, were horses.  
Galloping at full speed, carrying men with lanterns a plenty, shouting and looking about. They boomed down the path, loud as thunder, ambitious and certain.  
They only had one job.  
Find the convict who goes by: Mitch Mueller.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fun fun ;)) next chapter we'll have some fun visitors


	7. Heart of the Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Long time no see! I'm so so sooo sorry for the terribly long wait! My schedule was been completely full and I've only been able to work on this chapter a tiny bit at a time. I've been working on it for weeks but it's just been a couple sentences here and there! Hopefully it's worth it!! Enjoy!

Calloused fingers brushed against his forehead. Mumbling. Gentle hands shaking him awake. Silence. Concern in his voice. Scared. He was scared.

Warmth. Too much of it. Ragged breaths and coughing. Lemon water. Someone was cradling his face. A forehead kiss. Was this a dream? Perhaps.

Morning light. Too bright, too bright. Sniffling. Raw vegetables and less heat. A weight on the side of the bed. Sighs... too many of them. Weak hands. Dizzy mind. Unstable hearts. Hands to his forehead, multiple times. They were sweaty. Concern.

Spiraling pain shot through his temple, making the lights around him blur as he cracked his eyes open. The room was dark, the ragged curtains drawn back over the window, and candles flickered all around the room.  
Shadows danced around his room as the flames moved with a steady rhythm. It was a little too hot for his liking.  
Jonas looked down to his legs, weighted with almost every blanket in his house. They were also weighted with a lanky man that laid against his legs, looking awkwardly uncomfortable.  
His hair was a mess and even as he slept he looked exhausted.  
Jonas coughed lightly, trying not to wake Mitch, as he pushed some of the sheets off of him.  
Getting up was uncomfortable, not only because of Mitch but because his body didn't want to cooperate with him today. He felt heavy.  
A thought popped into his head and with a quick snap of his fingers, his wings burst into life. With a relieved sigh, Jonas let out the tension in his shoulders and immediately felt ten times lighter. Molting was never a fun process.  
"Thank god" he said with a sigh, moving gently to remove his legs from under Mitch and standing up.  
His legs almost buckled beneath him and he immediately sat down again.  
With a confused expression, he looked from his legs to Mitch, and then around his room.  
How long had he been out for?

3 days earlier~

Mitch had no idea that magical illnesses could get this severe. Hell, it wasn't like he'd had experience with them before but how bad could they stray from a common cold?  
It was bad.  
Jonas was in awful shape, his face paled and his hair sticking to his face, greasy. The bed he was so used to sleeping in was now creaking with weight, Jonas' limbs making it sink down. The air smelled like sickness and the sun hadn't appeared all day.  
He tried to go outside earlier to see if he could find some herbs or whatever but the forest seemed like it was dulled too. Jonas probably had a connection to this.  
Now it was late evening, the sun's descend making the house glow with runny colors. The fireplace warmed the house as Mitch carried some water to Jonas.  
He'd gotten it earlier from the stream, praying to whatever magic gods that this wouldn't kill Jonas.  
He tried, and probably failed, at diffusing lavender into the water, trying his best.  
His best wasn't very much.  
He sat on the edge of the bed, looking down at Jonas as he slept, his face looking neither peaceful or painful. Just merely there.  
He sighed, moving books so he could set the glass down onto the wooden nightstand. Mitch felt a knot form in his stomach.  
"Joey" he said in a whisper, trying to shake Jonas awake lightly.  
Jonas didn't move.  
"Spots? I uh ... got you some herbal shit... can't promise it won't kill you though" he said with a forced chuckle, casting his eyes to Jonas again.  
Still... nothing.  
"Damnit..." Mitch whispered under his breath, pressing his hand to Jonas' forehead. His skin felt too damn soft, even as he was sickly and asleep.  
He felt too hot and Mitch's worries skyrocketed, removing his hand quickly to try to shake him.  
"Jo, Joey please wake up... Ya gotta drink this .. ya feel too damn hot!" He said in a pleading whisper, trying desperately to wake him up without hurting the fragile boy.  
After a good two minutes of on and off shaking and silent pleas to wake up, Mitch sighed and dropped his face into his hands.  
Tomorrow would be better.

The next day wasn't better. Jonas looked worse. His face began to show the cheekbones, losing the soft pudge that he adored so much. His freckles seemed faint and the bags under his eyes only looked darker.  
The wind howled outside the house, brewing up a storm that looked as if it'd come that night.  
Mitch locked the door. 

The night brought raging winds and pelting rain that beat on the walls of the house. The small wooden cottage shook under the impact, sounding as if the whole thing would collapse any second. Cold encased the entirety of the cottage and Mitch was grateful that he'd stocked firewood inside instead of on the porch. He kept the fire lit well, hoping that the warmth of the living room would extend its grace into Jonas' room.  
With the fire burning steadily, Mitch dug through the house, getting any form of a blanket possible and wrapping Jonas up, hoping that the more he piled on the better Jonas would feel. Though, that didn't seem to help.  
Mitch sat by Jonas' bedside, watching as he tossed and turned, his face baring sweat, and his hair sticking to his forehead. He moaned in his sleep, making Mitch jump up in surprise.  
"Joey! Jo... Spots, are you alright?" Mitch said, standing and crouching down by Jonas' face. In return he only got a look of pain, Jonas moving his head to face him. His eyes still did not open.  
"Oh Joey..."  
Mitch let his head fall back onto the pillow as he bounded to the kitchen, his footsteps heavy on the wood.  
The storm still raged.

After using leftover creek water and some lemons, harvested a week before, Mitch was cradling jonas' face, making the cool liquid slide down his throat.  
Jonas seemed to be conscious... sort of. He still kept his eyes closed, his face scrunched up in pain.  
As soon as Jonas had gulped down the entire cup of water, Mitch let him lay back against the pillow, sighing in relief.  
At least he was hydrated.  
Mitch looked down at Jonas again, bending down to be eye level with the sickly boy.  
He cradled his face ever so gently and pressed a kiss to his forehead. If only kisses could actually heal.

Thunderstorms.  
When Mitch awoke, the sky looked like a black sheet had been pulled over it. Everything was dark and he could hear distant thunder rolling in the distance. The candle he lit the night before was blown out and the cold seemed to creep into the small house from every direction.  
He sat up, his head groggy and his face feeling more oily than it had been in a long time. He hadn't left the house after all.  
He realized he had fallen asleep on Jonas' bed and he jumped up quickly, trying to get a view of Jonas' face.  
Though, he was met with sheets, and hopefully a better looking freckled boy hiding underneath them.  
Said boy had pressed himself towards the side of the bed that met with the wall, so Mitch stayed on the bed and slid next to him.  
He carefully peeled back the sheets, hoping to find that Jonas was sleeping soundly.  
What he found was exactly what he didn't want to see.  
Jonas, paler than before, had dark purple bags under his eyes, as if he hadn't been sleeping for almost three days straight. His breathing was ragged and his nose and ears were bright red. Though, the odd thing about it all was that light swirls of green lit up his cheeks. It was as if his veins swirled into those shapes and his blood ran green. Along with that, his wings were there, pressed plainly against his back as he laid on his sides. Mitch looked at them with horror.  
They looked shattered, pieces having fallen out and swirls being disrupted. The same green light should have lit up the patterns of his wings, but instead was replaced by a sickly gray. It made him look so broken.  
Mitch's face twisted into a deep frown as his heart beat loudly in his chest.  
He looked dead.  
Mitch quickly pressed his hand to Jonas' front, trying to be as still as possible.  
He held his breath.  
...  
Thump. Thump.  
He sighed in relief.  
He was still alive.  
Mitch got up from the bed and cast a look back to Jonas.  
He needed to eat.  
Mitch heaved himself into the living room, lighting a small fire as a streak of lightning flashed through the window.  
The dark house was lit bright, not only by the fire but by the constant jolts of electricity that seemed to cover the sky.  
The rain could be heard from inside, still pattering heavily on the roof. Mitch sighed as he looked out the window at all the rain.  
This wouldn't be fun.

With long strides, Mitch pummeled out the door, the rain immediately soaking through his clothes and chilling his skin to the core. He tried to use one of his large hands to block his face from the rain but it wasn't much use. He glanced around quickly, finding the patch of dirt that was plowed up.  
He remembered Jonas telling him about his garden and how he grew fresh vegetables. He said there were tons he had planted around the forest but the one right next to the house was just small vegetable garden.  
Mitch didn't feel safe in these storms, and he wasn't scared of much, so he quickly dropped to his knees, digging with his hands. He got a good amount of tiny carrots, a few stalks of premature broccoli and a few palm-sized potatoes. They clearly weren't ready to be harvested yet but Mitch had to pick them anyway. There was no way to go trapping in this weather, plus he didn't want to leave Jonas alone.  
He thought back to the sick and deathly-looking Jonas that still lied inside. He quickly collected his finds and scrambled inside, nearly slipping on the few stairs that led up to the porch.  
He let out a strangled breath as he got inside and locked the door. His clothes dripped water onto the floor and his hair was absolutely soaked. He sighed. At least he was clean now.  
After checking up on Jonas every five minutes, always pressing hands to his forehead or trying to wake him up, he managed to clean and peel the vegetables.  
They didn't look great, far from it actually, but they were edible. Though, Mitch wasn't even sure people were supposed to eat raw potatoes. But Jonas needed to eat.  
The thought of him going almost three days without food made Mitch's own stomach twist in hunger, the realization dawning on him that he hadn't eaten either. Though, he was used to it.  
"Jonas..."  
"..."  
"Joey? Jo, wake up."  
"Mm..."  
"JOEY! Oh-er sorry Jo, just yer finally awake. Was getting bored without cha."  
"Mmph"  
"Here here Jo, eat this. It'll make ya feel a lil' better... hopefully?"  
Mitch slowly lifted Jonas' chin, trying to push the small morsels past his lips. Thankfully, Jonas complied and began to slowly chew, swallowing every bit of food Mitch give him. The process took a while but when Mitch was done, he sighed in relief and fell back on the bed. He was aware that half of his body was resting on Jonas', but the soft pudge of his belly served as a perfect pillow. Mitch hummed in satisfaction, closed his eyes, and let his muscles relax. Jonas had eaten. He wouldn't die today.  
The sound of sniffling broke Mitch from his thoughts and he looked up towards Jonas. He looked the same as before except- Was that color in his face?  
Mitch, still on the bed and very much close to Jonas, moved towards him and put a hand to his forehead quickly. He was burning up and Mitch quickly ripped the blankets from Jonas' body, leaving only a thin one.  
"Jesus fuck what was I thinkin'?!" He mumbled to himself, grabbing a towel from the nightstand and wiping his head clean of sweat. Fevers made people hot! Dumbass!  
Mitch mentally slapped himself and pulled away from Jonas, letting his legs hang limply from the bed.  
He held his head in his heads and sighed, his sweaty hands making his face oily.  
His eyes were too heavy.  
His head was too jumbled.  
His fairy was too sick.  
He pushed himself up and looked to Jonas again, a pleading look on his face.  
"What am I gonna do?"

Mitch woke up to the sound of gentle showers outside. The sound was soothing and it almost sent him back into a trance, though, he quickly realized he'd fallen asleep at the wrong time. Upon opening his eyes, he was met face to face with Jonas. His face immediately heated up as he jumped in surprise, only calming down as he realized Jonas was still stuck in a deep sleep. With his neck still warm, he leaned back down and studied Jonas' face. It wasn't sickly pale anymore, and his veins weren't as visible. His freckles were very defined against his nearly restored caramel skin, and his hair no longer stuck to his head by a sheet of sweat.  
Mitch sat up again and peeked over Jonas back, checking up on the quality of his wings. He was pleasantly surprised to find that they were looking healthier, green swirls lightly flowing through the patterns. They no longer looked like they could crack like shattered glass. Mitch got up from the bed, deciding that maybe laying on Jonas wasn't the best option. He took his recovery as a small sign to cover him back up in the bundle of blankets, considering that the small showers still made the air cold.  
As Mitch dumped the pile of blankets back on Jonas and tucked him in, he realized just how weak his legs felt. He was tired, and he wanted nothing more than to bury himself under that same pile of covers. Though, he decided for the next best option. He sat by Jonas' feet and laid his head down, resting his body against him. Even though he didn't have a blanket, the heat that now came from him was enough. Mitch smiled as he closed his eyes and inhaled the faint scent of cinnamon, letting the soft showers lull him right back to sleep.

Jonas opened the front door with a smile, sun beams shining down on his face. The forest floor looked damp, so he settled on staying on the porch. The air was a bit chilly but the sun couldn't seem any happier. Birds chirped harmoniously, wingbeats echoing through the empty forest. Or so he thought.  
If Jonas hadn't been a fairy like he was, he wouldn't have heard it. Though, the smell of horses and the lack of any animals that couldn't fly was a hint.  
Any other creep that lived alone in the forest would be worried. The wrath of soldiers could be devastating if they were in a particularly bad mood after all. Though, Jonas took his sweet time.  
He inhaled lightly, enjoying the smell of sunshine and morning dew. After last night, he decided the ache of his limbs wasn't worth it and headed back to bed after getting a glass of water. The sight of Mitch sleeping on his bed was an endearing one, though the dark bags under his eyes and the way his body gave off a very weak energy didn't look as promising. Thinking of it now, Mitch probably worried about him while he was out. He couldn't have been asleep for more than a day at most. He would have to ask Mitch when he woke up. 

Last night he had nervously gotten back into his bed, curling into himself and trying not to think about how Mitch was only a couple inches away. He wasn't sleeping by his face of course, only his legs, but it still had the same effect on him. He had tossed and turned though, his mind running over fifty miles an hour because of how close he really was. In the end, he had shamefully moved closer to Mitch, until they barely touched. He relished in the physical contact, even though it was through sheets. 

Thinking of it now, Jonas' face heated, but the sound of wagon wheels broke him from his daydreaming. He scuttled inside, slowing down so the floorboards wouldn't creak. He didn't want to wake Mitch.  
He slowly moved into his room and scanned over the mess that was scattered on his desk. Things looked just as he'd left it, despite the lack of a bit of lavender, and the addition of some waxy messes one would call candles.  
He broke open jars and grabbed handfuls of dried flowers, bottles of crushed crystals, and precious river stones. His wings fluttered with his every movement, lifting him slightly off the ground so the pressure was relieved from his feet. As he popped off the lid of two bottles, he poured their materials into his hands and blew them into the air, resulting in a sickening pop to occur. Jonas squeezed his eyes shut one second and opened them the next, sighing in relief. He hated using magic to teleport but he might've waited a bit too long to take things too slow and to walk there. Crystal dust and small shards now covered the forest floor, which beneath them grew strangely colored flowers that bloomed in strange shapes and sizes.  
Jonas ignored the outcome and immediately got to work spreading his materials across the forest in a line. His wings lifted him delicately off the ground and abled him to move at a quicker pace. He threw handfuls of dried flowers onto the grass, spread shards across bark and placed the river stones opposite each other. The whole display was placed in a large circle that enclosed his house, along with the creek, and any other necessities they needed. Jonas sighed out of exhaustion, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead and smiling at his work.  
Now came the hard part.  
Jonas sat down by one river stone, polishing it over and over again. He'd done the precious one earlier before he'd placed it about a mile off, straight across from where he sat now. The line made an invisible diameter across the entirety of homemade circle and Jonas hoped and prayed the line was straight (A/N: unlike him am I right lol).  
Jonas breathed out and closed his eyes.  
He chanted old words that stuck in his head from years of studying. Years of nothing but reading. Reading and learning.  
His wings began to glow a dazzling emerald green and the patterns of his cheeks glowed faintly under his caramel skin. Sparks of magic shot up into the air, engulfing the whole semicircle in a magical shield.  
Jonas squeezed his eyes shut as the magic grew brighter, stronger.  
He held his breath, fortifying the shield and suddenly releasing all his magic. Sparks of blue flew up and encased the magical barrier as Jonas let out a huge breath.  
He fell to his knees with a huff, panting and gasping for air. Sweat made his hair stick to his head and a wet glisten to make itself visible against his skin.  
He looked up in exhaustion and watched the magic slowly fading, the barrier becoming translucent. Sparks and designs still beamed brightly, transferring magic across the whole exterior and fortifying the protection.  
Jonas smiled and collapsed against the ground once again.  
They'd be safe.  
For now. 

Mitch sat comfortably on Jonas' bed, limbs sprawled in every direction as one of jonas' shirts hung loosely against his frame. He inhaled deeply and looked to the window.  
Jonas had been gone when he'd first woke up, which was about an hour ago. Mitch's first instinct was "oh FUCK", but after realizing that Jonas was a perfectly self reliant magical being, he almost felt stupid.  
Now Mitch sat in a mess of limbs, head still feeling heavy but he felt a little more rested.  
Today was very different than the other days because today the sun decided to shine brightly through the window.  
Mitch never enjoyed waking up because of the sun, but after a couple rainy days spent caring for a sick boy, it was great.  
Mitch decided to get up, stretching his arms over his head and slouching over with a huff.  
He wanted a glass of water and was walking to the kitchen to get one when he heard a disturbance from outside.  
With a small smirk, he abandoned his mission for water and opted to walking to the front door.  
Seeing Jonas fully recovered, hopefully, sounded like a much better option than getting water. He'd kill a man to see the freckled boy happy and well again. Mitch, smile still persistent on his face, waited until he heard the creak of the wooden planks on the porch, before opening the door.  
"Hey spo-"  
Mitch stopped and took a step back, eyes blown wide. His smirk vanished instantly and his body began to tremble.  
In front of him stood a soldier, eyes hard as a rock, as he glared at him.  
Now a devilish grin made its way to his face.  
"Ah, exactly who I was looking for" the soldier said, towering over him with a firm stance.  
"Mitch Mueller"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo I promise I'll be back soon with a good chapter ;)) Thanks for reading! And thank you all so much for all the kudos, hits, and comments!! We're almost at 1000 hits!! Wow!!! You guys always make my day and help me write faster! So thank you again!


	8. Harsh Realities

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow it has been a long time but I promise I'm not dropping this story! I really enjoy it and I've got a good 4-5 chapters left in me! i don't know how I finished this chapter during finals week but I did! When my summer break starts, expect more updates! Thanks for reading! I hope it's worth the wait!

Jonas hummed a sweet tune as he walked across the forest floor, his bare feet relishing in the touch of the soft plant life. No twigs or rocks threatened to hurt the pads of his feet as plants grew all around him. As he sauntered  by, flowers would spring to life, moss would flourish and spread, wood would become fortified and strong, and buds would bloom into extravagant masterpieces. The sun shined brightly onto his face, melting away his worries and making him practically glow with radiance. His wings fluttered behind him, shaking off excessive magic, as they usually did after molting, and making shards of precious stones grow from the ground and expose themselves. His glowing attitude helped with the magic he gave off, making him shed more and more of it.   
There were so many things to be happy about after all! The sun was out and shining, making his face and wings warm and radiant. His home and creek were now safe and fortified from the wrath of the soldiers, so he wouldn't have to worry about that. He was freshly molted and no longer felt gross in his own skin. And he had Mitch. Wonderful, caring, sweet Mitch. The Mitch who nursed him back to health, even though he technically wasn't sick... But he did it anyway!  
If only he could remember more of it than what he did. His memory was sparse and he only remembered small moments from the time he rested. Though, they were lovely enough.  
Jonas kept a thorough pace as he trekked through the forest, trying his hardest to recall those moments.   
Mitch had been worried about him... He'd made him something to eat... and drink.. He'd given him WAY too many blankets. Oh he'd burnt up! He won't tell Mitch that though.  
The only thing that bothered Jonas was the fact that his wings had molted while being in a holding spell... which was odd. Either that or he was completely exposed to Mitch... which would be .. a fun concept. He wanted to tell Mitch anyway though... If he already knew, explaining it wouldn't be too hard! Either way, he needed to tell him the truth.  
After walking this long, Jonas realized he should've been close to his house by now, and upon seeing it, he smiled a radiant grin.  
Lavender bloomed between his toes as dandelions sprouted up around his ankles, whisked away in the wind as he walked towards the house. Butterflies sauntered through the air as bumblebees happily took advantage of his happiness, immediately latching onto his flowers to collect pollen.  
As Jonas made his way to his porch, he looked behind him and sighed.  
It was beautiful. The sun was bright, the trees were green, flowers bloomed left and right, all different assortments. Birds and bugs alike soared through the air, as small rodents were scattered on the ground. Birdsong was melodious and peaceful, combined with the sound of the far off creek. Jonas could even see a deer in the distance, its broad body basking in the sun as new antlers were beginning to sprout from the buds in its head.  
Jonas smiled and chuckled a bit to himself.   
Spring would be early this year.  
He sighed again, a content one, and walked through his front door.   
Compared to the warm outdoors, his house felt chilly. The wooden floors felt cold on his feet as he stepped into his living room. The fire had been long burnt out but the candles still flickered around the house, illuminating the whole in an ominous light. The curtains had been drawn over all the windows so no natural light was to come in. He never did that, it must've been Mitch. Besides the fact that his house was dark and cold, something felt odd.  
Walking into his own home had never felt so... wrong.   
His body trembled the slightest bit as he stepped inside, leaving the door open so light could shine in. It was times like these where Jonas wished he was a fire nymph, or that he had gotten more practice in as a kid. Now, he could summon up a bit of his own magic for light, but it was dim. He decided against it, considering he still hadn't told Mitch, and walked further into the house.  
"Mitch?"  
His steps echoed around the house, sounding quite loud, especially with bare feet. Mitch was probably still sleeping, in his room, in the dark. He hated the dark. Jonas quivered a bit, gulping down his fear and walking to his bedroom. The door stood open, the inside black as ebony, the candles having been blown away earlier before he left.   
"Mitch?"  
Thinking Mitch was asleep, he dismissed Mitch's oblivious state and summoned some of his own magic, making a small green light filter through his fingers. He held it in his palm, trying to form the magic into a small sphere. When he was successful, the magic shined brighter and he could see in front of him. He looked down to his feet as he took cautious steps, making sure he didn't trip over a blanket or a book that may have fallen from his desk. Though, as his light shined across the floor, he found splatters of.. ink? He leaned down and swiped his fingers through the thick liquid, bringing it to his face to inspect it with a curious glance. To the eye it was nothing special, just some ink that might've gotten spilled. The only problem was, Jonas didn't keep an ink pot.   
That's when the tangy scent violated his senses, his eyes widening in fear as his body began to tremble. Blood.  
"MMMPHF- JONAS RUN"   
Jonas whipped his head to his right as his orb of magic exploded into a green dust. Light flew into every direction, illuminating the whole room in a blurred green, letting Jonas finally see around him. His eyes immediately landed on Mitch, hands tied with a rope and blood dripping from a gash in his left arm. His face was bruised and a trail of fresh blood leaked from his nose and onto the floor. His body felt numb, frozen in place. Jonas felt his wings tense up at the next sight. A soldier, armed with a sword and topped with the finest armor was on the floor, holding Mitch down.   
A dagger, sharp as a stag's hooves, was held to his neck, the fine tip prodding into the soft flesh. A hand was held over Mitch's mouth as he squirmed and kicked against the hold the solider had on him. His eyes were pleading, begging Jonas to just "RUN".   
By now, his fear was overflowing from his body in waves, making his hands shake and his feet to numb. He felt like he could be sick to his stomach right at that moment.   
Jonas tore his eyes away from Mitch and back to the solider, watching as his eyes grew at the sight of his wings and magic. Oops, forgot to hide that.  
"A forest sprite..." said the solider warily, holding his stance at the sight of him. He could see the solider tense up in his armor as his grip tightened on the dagger. His back was pressed to the wall, a menacing position that was meant to scare off Jonas.   
"I won't hurt you nymph... I won't even tell the kingdom about your whereabouts. I only came for the prisoner" he said slowly, like Jonas was a mirror and he was trying to step on it without it shattering.   
"Let me take Mueller and you can live in your forest haven"  
Jonas looked to Mitch, watching his eyes cloud with dread.   
His eyes flicked back up to the man. No matter how hard he tried to keep his voice steady, no matter how hard he tried to keep this interaction peaceful, it wouldn't happen.  
He could tell that this man was just as scared of him as he was of him. He could sense his nervousness just by the smell of his sweat, the way his eye twitched nervously, and by that god forsaken smirk of his.   
The solider, noticing his hesitation, smirked wider and pressed the knife farther into Mitch's exposed neck, drawing a bead of blood out of the wound, making it drip onto the floor.   
"Don't try me sprite, I've got weapons. This could easily be you next"   
He slowly drew the knife down Mitch's neck more, making a thin slash that blood poured from. It dripped, ever so slowly, down his neck and he could see him tense up. His eyes squeezed shut in pain as a muffled groan came from him.   
And that was when something snapped in Jonas' head. The fear that pooled in his stomach vanished instantly and he stood his ground, his feet planting on the floor as if he controlled this situation. Because he did.  
This was his house, his forest, and his Mitch. If that solider wanted to come ruin his peaceful little lifestyle, then he better be prepared for a fight.  
Apparently noticing the change in behavior, the soldier growled underneath his breath and all but gently sliced into Mitch's throat. Mitch's wide eyed stare pierced a hole through Jonas' chest as blood gurgled out of Mitch's mouth as he tried to scream. An awful choking noise came from him as he gave him a desperate look of pain.   
He didn't even have time to blink before roots shattered through the floorboards. Razor sharp wood chips flew in every direction as the roots gripped the solider's body from all angles, cutting into him and twisted painfully around his neck. The look of complete horror on the soldier's face was proof enough that he underestimated his power, which was a nice surprise. It was good that the kingdom still didn't properly know just how much power the sprites could hold. He wasn't even that powerful, considering he didn't live with a family of other forest nymphs. The power that a family could harness was scary, even to him, and was not to be taken lightly.  
Distracted by his own thoughts had no effect on the roots he controlled, all of them still constricting the man. He looked small like this, thick roots from ancient oaks wrapped around his puny body. Letting out his wrath on the soldier had made him completely forget why he'd initially reacted so harshly, until a cough broke him out of his trance. With a small gasp, Jonas' eyes flipped to Mitch, who sat on the floor, lifeless and bloody. Jonas' eyes widened and his body felt like a rock being sunk into a river of despair.   
"MITCH!" He yelled, the noise in his head being too loud to hear over.  
The only real sounds were the choked breaths that still emanated from the soldier and the painful crack of wood as it wrapped tighter and tighter. Mitch had stopped trying to speak at that point and Jonas ran to him, faster than his feet had ever gone. He dropped to his knees quickly, taking the boy in his arms.   
He was an absolute mess. His throat was gushing blood out like a river, a heavy stream flowing down his neck and staining his shirt and pants. His face looked lifeless and empty. His eye bags from earlier had only deepened and he looked paler than usual.   
Jonas would've thought he was dead if he hadn't cracked his eyes open at the mention of his name. Jonas held him in trembling hands, his eyes running over his face, his throat, the blood, his limp body.   
"Mitch.... Mitch... Mitch Mitch Mitch" Jonas whispered, over and over again, holding the boy's hand. His eyes felt heavy as he took in the picture below him. His mouth repeated his name, afraid that he'd forget it so quickly. Mitch was dying.  
He already looked dead. He certainly would've thought he was dead if it weren't for the way he was looking at him through lidded eyes. His eyes shone with a dull glimmer though, as if Jonas would be the last thing he'd see.  
Jonas felt pain slash through his chest as he realized this was painfully familiar.   
Just like when they first met, except this time... it was all his fault.  
If he hadn't procrastinated and put up the barrier earlier, the soldier would've never gotten in. Mitch would be safe. They'd never have to go through all this.  
Jonas looked down at Mitch and watched as his chest slowly rose up and down. A sign. He was still alive.  
There was one thing he could do, but if it would work... that was a whole other idea. He hadn't studied the topic in years, due to the painful throbbing it brought to his chest. It probably wouldn't even work, and it'd save him the embarrassment of trying and it being the last thing Mitch would have to see.  
Jonas looked down at Mitch, looked down at all the blood and the way his throat looked absolutely horrendous. He looked at his messy hair and his beat up face. He watched the way his muscles lay limp and his lanky figure stayed still.  
If someone were to see Mitch, they'd think he deserved this situation. Jonas would even admit that when he first saw Mitch, he looked like someone who would get beaten up often. He looked like someone who would cause trouble and mischief, someone who deserved this.  
Looks didn't matter though. Jonas had learned that over the weeks that Mitch had stayed with him.   
Mitch didn't deserve this.   
He didn't deserve to die like this.  
He was a good guy who just deserved happiness... who just deserved someone who could finally see the good in him.  
Tears filled Jonas' eyes as he cradled Mitch's face, as if he could hold on longer.  
He would die soon.  
Too much blood was coming from his body.  
He knew Mitch couldn't talk, couldn't utter any last words without choking on his own blood. But ever so slowly, Mitch's mouth slowly rose into a small grin. So small, one could barely notice.  
But Jonas, oh horrible, horrible Jonas saw it. His heart stilled for half a second before he moved quickly, pressing his lips onto Mitch's as quickly as possible.  
He kissed him as if he could no longer breathe, and Mitch was his air. His lips moved all on their own, kissing him like he could suddenly rise up and kiss him back. He forgot that Mitch's mouth was full of blood, kissing him even though his mouth tasted heavily of iron.   
It felt so good. Even if the man he was kissing was dying. Even if he was doing everything on his own. Even if Mitch didn't return his feelings.  
He knew he couldn't do anything but this. This was the last thing he could offer. He just prayed to the gods that this would work.  
He pulled back with a huff, his breathing staggered and heavy. He looked at Mitch with hopeful eyes, fear still heavy in his chest and his stomach.   
Mitch's eyes were still open, still alive. If Jonas wasn't absolutely sure he was seeing things, he would've said that Mitch's eyes had sparkled more than before.  
But just as his hope rose, Mitch's eyes became unfocused and glassy.   
"No..." Jonas said quietly, holding Mitch's face tighter. His eyes slowly fell closed.   
"NO! NO! No no no no no no!!" He gripped his face desperately, shaking him, trying to get him to open his eyes again.   
"Please... please! Mitch!"  
He brought his face closer to his, trying to get him to listen.  
"Please" he whispered, pressing his face into Mitch's chest. Tears welled up in his eyes and fell down his cheeks in big, goopy drops.   
"I need you"   
Everything stilled.   
Everything was silent.  
Everything merely existed.  
The world was dark and silent as Jonas felt Mitch's chest still.   
His heart felt empty. His head was buzzy. His limbs were frozen in place.

 

And then, he felt it.   
A soft brush against his cheek, slowly caressing his chin and wiping the tears away. Other small brushes and comforting gestures could be felt all over his body.  
Confused, Jonas lifted his head to see what had drove him mad. What made his body feel things that weren't there? And yet, it was there.   
Sprouts sprung up from the floor boards, growing through the cracks that the roots had made earlier. The soft, fresh plants tangled themselves gently around his legs, slowly moving against his body. They curled and wrapping around him in a gentle embrace, resting against his skin like fine silk. Vines traveled up his body, coming around to frame his face, their kind tendrils wiping away the tears with the utmost care. He sniffled, as more tears came down in small drops, the plants reacting and wiping them away upon contact.  
He felt them in his hair, on his hands, around his feet, holding him like a mother would to her child. But no matter the amount of comfort the forest had to offer him, it still didn't take away the pain in his chest. The stabbing and pounding pain in his head that repeated over and over again what had happened. Not even magic could take away a pain like this.  
He closed his eyes and pressed his face against Mitch's chest, breathing in his scent.  
And to his surprise, he could only smell honey suckles and lavender. He closed his eyes tighter and pressed his face into his chest harder.   
This wasn't right...   
He breathed in.  
Tulips and daisies.  
Wrong... wrong!   
He breathed in again.  
Pine needles and blue belles.  
Jonas jerked his head up, confusion and anger blistering through his mind, his actions, his heart.  
His eyes widened at the sight.  
Mitch lay still as before, but his blood... his death... was replaced with life.   
Flowers of all assortments bloomed through the wound, sprouts and buds blooming along the lines of his neck and down his chest.  
Where blood laid before, it was there no longer.  
Greenery lit up Mitch's body as it wrapped around his neck, blooming and sprouting into every direction. Jonas' eyes were wide with wonder, amazement.   
He let out a breath, a choked attempt at getting air and slammed his face into Mitch's chest.  
...  
Thump. Thump.  
Thump. Thump.  
Jonas pulled back and wrapped his arms so tightly around Mitch, he was sure neither of them could breathe in that moment.  
He could feel the flowers beneath his chest and neck, still blooming and spreading their gift of life into his body.   
It had worked...  
It had worked!!  
Mitch was alive.  
Now tears fell from his face in happy streams, followed by choked sobs.   
He sobbed, and sobbed, and sobbed, the tears dripping into Mitch's wounds and making the flowers flourish even more.  
He felt as if he could live in this happy ending forever.  
But a single thought popped into his head as he felt the sprouts intertwine their bodies together. With a flick of his wrist, the sprouts released his wings from their hold and fell, blooming into his floorboards. He picked himself up off the floor and reached down, wrapping Mitch in his arms, the vines already trying to tie the two together. Jonas gulped nervously as honey suckles bloomed along the line of Mitch's jaw.   
He might've saved Mitch, but his work hadn't been neat.   
He looked around him at his room, watching the plant life take over his bed, his desk, the other unattended body that lay limp on the floor.   
He only knew one person who could fix a mess like this.   
He needed Sidney.


	9. Unclear Emotions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey I'm so sorry this is so short but I really just wanted to get this posted! Enjoy!

The night was dark and crisp, lit by a sliver of the moon. Crickets chirped harmoniously outside of Jonas' small home as he sat at his desk, flipping through books that smelled of dust and old paper. His eyes scanned the pages over and over, trying to focus on the multitudes of words. He'd been at his desk for hours, reading by candlelight and trying to wrap his head around the situation he was in.  
After trying to read a particular paragraph over and over again, he stopped, sighing as he closed the book and glanced down at his own hands. The small vines that wrapped around his fingers delicately couldn't be ignored for long. He looked up his arm at the small buds that began to reveal what looked like dandelions, bright and yellow as they slowly revealed their vibrant petals. He smiled a bit at the sight of the small weed and turned around, eyes scanning his room.  
The situation from earlier definitely took a toll on him but with magic, fixing his house was no problem. The wood, now fortified and strong, looked brand new, not leaving a trace of broken chips anywhere. The blood from earlier was gone as well, replaced by clean floors and a floral scented household, peaceful and unharmed. The body too, was gone, taken deep into the cracks of the earth, forgotten and left to decompose like the others.  
But getting rid of something was much easier than forgetting it entirely. It was easy to cast a spell and make it all go away, but sadly there weren't any spells or magic tricks to take away the guilt and fear in Joans' chest. He gulped as he thought of his acts, his heartbeat quickening in the process. He tried to push the feeling down, deal with it later... that's what he would always say. In reality, he had to deal with this situation now. But he could always think of it later and sort it all out. It wasn't a big deal anyway. So what? A random solider was dead? It wouldn't matter to the king, who had an army of thousands of soldiers. So what one was missing? They'd call it off, gossip about how he ran off with a tart, and would never think of it again. Jonas felt a pit form in his stomach.  
It wasn't like he wanted to kill him.... He didn't want to. He just wanted Mitch. That's all. The soldier had come into his home after all, so it wouldn't be against the law. Invasion of his property... he had every right to kill him! But.. he didn't want to. But he had to! There was no other choice! He cut out Mitch's throat! Killing him was instinctual!  
Jonas gulped.  
Killing him...   
Killing...   
was.... instinctual...  
for ....him.  
That familiar pain that always came back after doing such awful things somehow wedged itself into Jonas chest. It was heavy and his stomach filled with guilt.   
He was such an awful person... Why did killing have to be the easy way out? Couldn't he just verbally convince him to give up Mitch? If only they had listened! It would have made his life so much easier! He wouldn't have to feel bad for killing them! He wasn't the best at being verbally convincing but god! Have some common sense! If a forest nymph wanted to talk things out peacefully, then they should've listened! Shouldn't they have known to be cautious of him? Especially when he was in his own element?! Those dull, low-lived bastards....  
Jonas could feel the anger seething in him, trying to cover up the guilt and the pain. He looked down to his own clenched fists and stared wide eyed at himself. The sprouts that had grown over his wrists and fingers were now black and crumbled on the floor, barely identifiable as plants. Jonas' eyes softened and his anger ceased momentarily.   
He watched as the growing on his body stopped and he looked hopefully to his dandelions, only to see that they too, had stopped growing, beginning to wilt in the process.   
Jonas closed his eyes shut and let out the breath he'd been holding.   
Look at what he'd become...  
This is where anger got him. It always ended up like this.  
He needed his book...  
His book! Of course!  
Jonas snapped his eyes open and quickly scrambled for the bed.  
Almost tripped over his own feet, he slipped his hands underneath, snatching the box and tearing it open, grabbing his book. He flipped through the pages frantically, searching for an empty one that could hold the burdens and memories that burned his insides. He felt like a wild dog on the search for prey, crazed and driven for his goal.  
When he found an open page he quickly scrambled for a quill on his desk. Finding the feather, he searched his mess of a space for an ink pot.   
"Come on.... come on!!" Jonas whined, shoving the mess in every direction. Guilt was making a remarkable indent in his gut and he knew the only way out was his Πάρε το μακριά. With a flick of his wrist, books flew off his desk and revealed none other than his ink pot.  
"Thank gods" he sighed, snatched the ink pot and settling himself onto the floor again, his back laid against his bed. His head was beginning to swirl and he desperately needed this feeling to go away.    
Though, right as he was going to begin to make an ink-crazed mess, he felt the brush of a hand against his shoulder. The gentle contact made him jump into the air, his shoulders tensing and his heart leaping in surprise. He stood up slowly, as his head moved at a snail's pace, twisting to look at who had touched him.   
Of course it was none other than Mitch Mueller, who was still fast asleep. Though, his hand limply gripped Jonas' shoulder, accompanied by the presence of a strongly persistent vine. The vine tangled itself along Mitch's shoulder, forearm, wrist, and to his fingertips, that clung gently to Jonas. The vine then began its tangle along Jonas' shoulder blades, slowing its rapid growth.  
Jonas sighed as his eyes wandered to Mitch's face, watching as flowers began to bloom in his hair. It made him look so soft and vulnerable, something he wasn't used to when it came from Mitch.  
Jonas smiled the tiniest bit, his chest becoming more numb than anything. His head seemed calmer and dazed, seemingly caught up in the soft growth of the plant that wanted to weave the two of them together. Jonas let out a deep breath and stood up, the journal dropping from his hands and onto the floor with a thump.   
The struggle of the vine ceased as it felt him move closer to Mitch, the spell's offspring currently satisfied with what was happening. Jonas sighed and moved onto the bed next to Mitch, laying his head back onto the same pillow that held the man's head.  
He closed his eyes and wove his fingers through his own hair, the dull, throbbing pain still aching in his gut. With these plants, he couldn't do anything properly! Casting spells to destroy them could do the trick but he worried that it'd somehow alter the magic that still kept Mitch alive. Jonas sighed and turned onto his side, ignoring the million questions that still buzzed in his head. Despite his power, he was still so inexperienced, so seeing Sidney would do wonders for both him and Mitch.  
Jonas cracked his eyes open and looked up at the man that laid beside him. His cheeks felt hot just by looking at him, somehow dulling the pain that throbbed in his chest.   
What if he just-  
With hesitant features, Jonas pressed himself against Mitch's side, their bodies becoming warm where they met, Jonas' face becoming hotter all the more. Jonas smiled to himself and closed his eyes, pushing his face into the side of Mitch's forearm. It wasn't much contact, but right now it felt like so much more. The pain that pooled in Jonas' gut felt like it vanished completely, and his body relaxed into the bed, trying to soak in more of Mitch's warmth. It was as if it was trying to collect as much as it could while it had the opportunity.  
Jonas sighed contently and closed his eyes, his arms gently clinging onto the crease of Mitch's elbow. This was nice. Warm. It just felt right. Jonas' mind went blank as he focused on his senses, almost falling asleep in the process.  
Though, right before his mind fell out of it, something tugged at his shirt. With exhaustion clouding his mind, Jonas cracked an eye open to see the pesky plants traveling towards Mitch's hips. They stretched over his own and onto the other side of Mitch's hip bones, disappearing from his own sight. Jonas grumbled underneath his breath quietly, closing his eyes again.  
If those plants would just calm down for a second, he could get some proper sleep.   
Though, to his surprise, it wasn't the plants that moved this time.   
With a groan coming from Mitch, Jonas felt his arms fall from Mitch's body as he turned over. Before Jonas could even blink in confusion, an arm was throw over his side, pulling him directly into Mitch, their bodies meeting together. As the movement died down, Jonas felt Mitch's body relax against his, soft breathing coming from him.  
With wide eyes and a completely red face, Jonas took in the scene for himself.  
Mitch now lied on his side like Jonas was, the two of them facing each other. One of Mitch's lanky arms laid underneath Jonas's head, serving as a makeshift pillow. His other arm hugged Jonas' side, ensuring the proximity between them didn't decrease. Their bodies were pressed together, leaving no room at all, and only supplying him with more warmth. Glancing up, Jonas watched Mitch's face, still relaxed and sleeping, though now a small smile was painted there. Jonas felt as if his own heart would beat out of his chest in that moment, the soft scene unfolding upon him. He quickly forced his eyes back down, staring into Mitch's chest.   
There was no way Mitch had done this all in his sleep. There was no way..... He was definitely dreaming again. Though, it wasn't too new to him now.  
Jonas decided to sneak another look back up to Mitch, only to see a vine slowly winding its way down his ear and stopping in a small curl.  
Ah, that was it.  
This was the vine's doing. It made sense.  
Jonas considered undoing the vines and escaping Mitch's grip, but leaving the warmth wasn't a very wise option. Or one he'd prefer to do.  
Jonas sighed and relaxed against Mitch, letting his head fall against his chest, the sound of his heartbeat soothing him. Everything was just so... gentle. The warmth of their bodies, the beating of his heart, the smell of him.   
With a quick thought, Jonas inhaled deeply, Mitch's familiar scent filling his nose.  
He didn't know his scent well, but for some reason it matched the scent in his dream. He smelled of the earth, of firewood, and the slight stench of blood.   
Jonas smiled and buried his face into Mitch's arm. He didn't want to think about pain or confusion. He didn't want to think of dead soldiers or spell complications. Didn't want to think about feelings and reciprocation. He just wanted to enjoy this moment.  
So he did.  
Within ten seconds, his mind fell out of consciousness, the two boys pressed together in a sweet embrace. If only they could stay like this forever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Thank you for those who've stuck with this story and followed it while I was inactive! I've been writing but I've been so so busy. I wanted this chapter to be much longer but it just didn't happen. I promise things will happen in the next one! For now, thanks again for reading and leaving so many wonderful comments! You're all so kind and amazing! <33 Stay tuned!

**Author's Note:**

> As of right now, there's no certaint amount of chapters or a set schedule for updates. Sorry but thank you so much for reading!


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